The Iro

The Iro: Fleet tanker Depth: 120' (40 meters) The popularity of this advanced level dive is not only due the sheer size of the fleet oiler and its history, but the mere thought of its sister ship the Sata lying sunken 300 yards away in the deep abyss, is an unsurpassed thrill. The Sata is unfortunately completely upside down and pretty deep, making her an impossible dive. At the end of the day, these ships are actually not easy to tell apart and there is still professional speculation as to whether the names should be swopped around due to that fact that they are not sure which is, in fact, which. Operation Desecrate I claimed both ships at the Urukthapel anchorage. The '�Iro' was taken down by the USS Tunny on its way back from the Phillipines in 1944. Quite the fighter, it eventually took one of Operation Desecrate I's bombs to take her down properly a few days later. The Iro was built in the 1920's by Osaka Iron works and is 470 feet in length and weighs 14,050 tons. The deck lies at 85 feet (28 m) and due to its sheer size more than one dive is required to explore it properly. The main deck is at a depth of 80' with open holds containing oil drums and machinery. Be aware that the live ammunition you will encounter is extremely dangerous and unstable due to age. The gaping hole on the bow from torpedo damage can be seen from around 80' and is completely overgrown with black coral. Mounted on a circular platform on top of what's left of the bow is a coral encrusted gun with a 7' barrel. Fires burnt the bridge open completely, so it's easy to enter. The crew quarters are just underneath. The engine room is also very easily accessible due the fact that it is the origin of the explosion that sunk the ship. Visibility in general vacillates between 30' and 100'. The wreck also makes for a wonderful night dive. Location: A sheltered lagoon at Urukthapel Anchorage, ten minutes SE of Koror. Marine life: Lagoon fishes float around and aside from the black coral around the hole there aren't many other formations around.