Discovered 2021, By Oliver Zaiser, Sebastian Gintschel, Michael Blaney Davidson

Location:- Gulf of Siam

Registration:- Not known – Sunk 30 May 1945 during the last few months of WW2 by USS Bergall

Classification:- Japanese Merchant Marine Tug.

Photo Credit : Michael Blaney Davidson

Online library of all Japanese losses during WW2 at http://www.jsu.or.jp/siryo/map/

Map of Known vessel locations(Japanese language) in Gulf of Siam and South China Sea is given here:- http://www.jsu.or.jp/siryo/map/hutuin/malay/malay.html

Gulf of Siam Region:- http://www.jsu.or.jp/siryo/map/hutuin/malay/malay_ne/malay_ne.html

Specifications:- (Tug Spec Not known) – was towing 2 barges 400 ton each.

Depth:- 42 meters to seabed. 34 meters to the wreck.

Standardized Shipwreck Report follows:-Vessel Name: Unknown
Vessel Nationality: Unknown
Type of Vessel: Auxiliary tug
Depth to Wreck in Meters: 34
Depth to Seabed in Meters: 42
Location eg Gulf of Siam: Gulf of Siam
WGS Co-ordinates North: 10-43
WGS Co-ordinates East: 99-33
Length (m): 35
Width (m): 8
Tonnage:
Number of Props: 2
How the Vessel Sunk?: Sunk by USS Bergall SS-320 on 30-May-45
War report link : https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3066.html

U.S.S. Bergall (SS-320) page :- http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08320.htm

Vessel Activity Priot to Sinking: Pulling barges
Other Information:
Bottom Topology: Sand
Dive Team Names and e-mail Addresses: Sebastian Gintschel
Michael Blaney Davidson
Oliver Zaiser

Additional Comments (credit: Oliver Zeiser)

…I went through all the war report marks and digitised them. Some of them read more like a turkey hunt the anything else. I think the record I saw where 24 small vessels sunk by deck gun at one go using something like 100 rounds. Then they used demolition charges …..

In the area of the tug boat was one of the main landing areas of the IJA /IJN and as a reaction a big group of Seri Thai members. The Seri Thai where harbouring US spotters hence the massive amount of costal kills in that area…