Aratama Maru, Shipwreck site in Talofofo Bay, Guam

Aratama Maru was a Japanese merchant ship launched in 1938 and used as a munitions transport in World War II. Its wreck now lies just inside the reef fringing Talofofo Bay on Guam's southeastern coast, where only hull remnants, the anchor with chain, and some superstructure elements remain after salvage in the 1940s and 1960s.

Launched in 1938, Aratama Maru was a merchant ship of the Empire of Japan, pressed into service as a munitions transport during World War II. On 8 April 1944, while approaching Guam in a Japanese ammunition resupply convoy, she was struck by a torpedo from the submarine USS Seahorse. In the same attack the Seahorse damaged Kizugawa Maru, which was towed to Apra Harbor and later sunk there in a second American bombing raid.

The wreck lies in waters tied to Japan's naval history in the Pacific War, and local people associate the location with memories of that era. For divers visiting the site, the submerged remains serve as a place to consider the island's wartime past.

The wreck sits inside the reef fringing Talofofo Bay on Guam's southeastern coast, reachable only by boat and with dive gear. Only hull remnants, the anchor with chain and some superstructure elements remain after salvage in the 1960s. Typhoons have shifted and damaged the wreck, so check local conditions and any access restrictions before diving.

After being hit, the vessel drifted for three days before finally settling on the reef and splitting in half. The stern section slipped toward the Mariana Trench during sinking, creating an unusual arrangement of wreckage on the seafloor.