Millar Maru

Local Name:

Millar Maru

Depth:

Approximately 130 feet to the main deck.

Length and Orientation info:

The approximate length and approximate orientation of the ship are deteremined based on the lat and lon of the bow and stern. Typically, the lat/lon information was obtained by attaching a line with a float to the wreck and marking the position of the float with a handheld GPS receiver. We try to get the line as near vertical as possible, but there is bound to be some error. Also, the GPS position will have a certain error in it as well. So, this information will be reasonable, but not 100 percent accurate.

Stern Position:
Latitude : 8 deg 46.584 min 0 sec
Longitude: 167 deg 43.555 min 0 sec

Bow Position:
Latitude : 8 deg 46.585 min 0 sec
Longitude: 167 deg 43.572 min 0 sec

Approximate length: feet

Approximate orientation: deg mag

Anchoring:

As of 1/8/2006 there is now a sub-surface buoy attached to the wreck. This buoy is down about 20 feet below the surface. There is a 2.5 inch diameter stainless steel ring under it. The intent is that a diver or snorkeler can take the end of a rope from the boat down and run it through the ring and bring it back to the boat. Both ends are then secured to the cleat. Naturally, a second means of anchoring should be used while diving the wreck such as a small grapnel that can be easily attached to the wreck as a backup means of anchoring. At the end of the dive the lines can simply be undone from the cleat and the loose end of the rope pulled through the ring from the surface and you are ready to go!

Location:

Latitude			Longitude
Degrees	Minutes	Seconds	Degrees	Minutes	Seconds
8	46	35.340	167	43	33.900
8	46.58900	---------	167	43.56500	---------
8.77648	---------	---------	167.72608	---------	---------

Notes:

This boat had apparently run aground on the reef at some point in time. I do not know the origin of this boat. The story goes that Col Millar (hence the nickname Millar Maru) had the boat pulled off the reef and it was given to the RMI. At one point it started sitting deeper in the water. At that time it was common practice for the local diver to mark items such as portholes with a tag that they were working on removing from the other wrecks in the area. So, as the boat started to sit lower and lower in the water, the local divers would board the boat and put there tags on it, so as to claim their items before it sunk! Sure enough, one day it was sunk. One can only assume that the local divers dove her and claimed their tagged items!

This boat is a fair sized (maybe 100' fishing boat. It has a couple holds forward that appear to have been refrigerated. As of 7/2003 there is a nice anemone right on the stern rail. Schools of batfish have been seen there frequently.

UPDATE (1/8/2006): Today we (Bob Burt, Bob Hamel, Jim Bishop and Dave Fortin) installed a sub-surfce buoy on the wreck. The sub-surface buoy is at 20 feet and the coordinates for this wrecks were slightly adjusted to better reflect the actual position of the buoy.

Photos:

	On Februrary 6, 2014 I received an e-mail from a Mr. Nelson Chenkin. He had been scanning some slides from his time on Kwajalein and decided to Google Millar Maru and see what came up. Well, he came across this site, so he contacted me. I thought it was especially interesting since he and his friend Chuck were the first ones to dive Millar Maru. It is interesting to see a wreck that still has it's paint and not overgrown with marine life! Here is what Mr. Chenkin had to say: "One morning in probably '74 my friend Chuck and I were going diving somewhere. We noticed that the Millar was gone! We changed plans and headed out there, located the oil slick and some bubbles coming up and made the first ever dive on the new wreck. We the noted line-of sight the coordinates (GPS, what's that?) and reported back to our friends. Many more people were out there within days." Photo by Nelson Chenkin
Photo by Nelson Chenkin
	Photo by Nelson Chenkin
Photo by Nelson Chenkin
	This nice anemone is located right in the middle of the stern railing.
The photo is a little dark, but this view is taken from around the area of the bridge looking towards the bow. There are ladders on the starboard and port sides of the ship.
	A diver swims away from the bow of the ship on the port side.
Not much of a shot, but a closer view of the bow.
	Another view of the bow, forward mast, and a couple holds.
Yet another view of the bow showing the shape of the bow and some of the machinery on the deck.
	A shot looking back at the bridge.
Another view of the bridge with Linda Fluke heading down to explore the wreck.
	A view of the bridge area from the port side.
Another shot of divers exploring the bridge. The diver on the right looks like it might be Gary Goldsmith. Is that you Gary?
	Looking into the port side door of the bridge area.
A shot of the inside of one of the holds. This appears to be refrigeration piping.
	Linda Fluke explores the wreck.
This shot is taken from the port side looking towards the stern. You can see the various structures present on the ship. You can see the tangle of rope that we put in place to setup a temporary sub-surface buoy until a more permanent one could be installed.
	Just a simple shot showing the shape of the stern from above.