Toa Maru No 2 (Japanese) This is a very good wreck, the equal of many of the Chuuk Lagoon shipwrecks. There are numerous items to see, including tanks, trucks, jeeps and other artefacts. On 31 January 1943 the Toa Maru was carrying equipment and supplies to Kolombangara again. Her destination was Vila Harbour (also called Disappointment Cove) on the south-eastern corner of the island where there was a Japanese supply base. The ship was spotted by coastwatchers (mostly Australian and British men stuck there when the war started) leaving Rabaul on New Ireland in Papua New Guinea a few days earlier. On 31 January 1943, 12 Douglas TBF Dauntless torpedo bombers from the Marine Scout/Torpedo Bomber Squadron VMSTB -142, as well as perhaps some Douglas SBD 5 Dauntless dive bombers (not sure how many), left Henderson Airfield on Guadalcanal to the south with the aim of attacking shipping in Vella Gulf. They were escorted by eight Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats from Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-112 (it was not necessarily mentioned in reports that the aim was to find and destroy the Toa Maru). The dive bombers had hit the Toa Maru. The wreck today has two bomb holes in the bow. The first is a large hole in the hull on the port side in Hold One and the second is a smaller hole between the Chain Locker and Hold One, also on the port side. It is also reported that the rear holds was hit, probably by the fighters. The Toa Maru sank sometime after on the northern side of Sepo Kokiti Island which is located about seven kilometres to the north of Gizo township. Between Holds One and Two is a mast. This is still in place and extends right out over the sand. Behind the mast is the hold. The most obvious thing you will see here is a two man tank. This is sitting upside down on the side of the hold's entrance. The turret is easily seen as is the small gun barrel that extrudes from it. Behind the tank there is another track. Whether this was a spare or from another tank buried under debris I do not know. In the hold there are thousands of beer bottles, steel girders and some ammunition. What we noticed most were timber packs containing four mortar bombs. There are hundreds of these. Outside you will notice some very interesting things between the holds and on the sand under the opening to Hold Three. There is a large kingpost (the H shaped part of a ship) and above the uppermost support there is an object that Danny Kennedy of Adventure Sports dive shop at Gizo says is a motorcycle. He said that it originally had a side car. Nowadays it does not resemble a bike at all (apart from the seat perhaps). There are other objects here that appear to me to be parts of a largish field gun. I say this after my three trips to Chuuk Lagoon where I saw a lot of this on wrecks. To me, the "bike" looks like the parts of a gun where the crew sit and adjust the gun. However, Danny assures me that in the mid-1980s when he moved to Gizo it definitely looked like a bike. Despite this, I am confident that the other bits here are a gun. Why? Because on the hull above here there are at least two (or maybe three) large barrels and trigger assemblies, a gun mount and other parts of field guns. It is likely that the salvage attempts moved these here to get at other items in the holds or perhaps they had some intentions to later salvage them. Hold Three is mostly empty but just outside the hold there is a large truck. At the back of the upper level of this hold there are some lanterns. They look very nice when you put a torch inside them. In Holds Two and Three, Danny's dive guides have hidden away a lot of artefacts that they pull out to show you. Some of the things include large ampoules, bottles of pills and other items. There are also plates, cups, thermos flask and other items on display on the holds' edges. A level down is the communications area. There is a typewriter, telephone and radio equipment here. Further back there is the galley, with a stove, pots and other kitchen equipment. I seem to recall that in the bridge our guide also showed us a glass jar full of condoms!! Somewhere we also saw a pile of Japanese newspapers. Below the entrance to the Hold Four there are at least two trucks lying on the sand, covered with seagrass or kelp. Behind here is the rear H shaped kingpost. Coming out of Hold Five you will see a jeep to the rear under the rear mast. Hold Six contains hundreds of 44 gallon drums. Just outside the entrance to this hold there is a small fuel tanker, lying on its left side with the engine towards the wreck. The tank cylinder has rusted a fair bit and most of it has gone.