Banshu Maru No. 52

Banshu Maru No. 52 is an operator-listed deep wreck near Grande Island in Subic Bay. Arizona and Scubaholics use Banshu naming, while Arizona also uses Nikko and Sakura names. This guide records one source-named dive site, without certifying the historic vessel identity.

Arizona places Nikko and Banshu in one map label and also uses Sakura in its description. These names refer to one listed dive site here, but the vessel identity remains unconfirmed. Johan's account describes a Sakura freighter; whether that account concerns this same wreck is uncertain.

The published operator-map point is approximate and has not been surveyed or checked by a local diver for this guide. It is not a confirmed entry or navigation waypoint. Current access, mooring arrangements, visibility, currents and suitable dive plans remain unconfirmed. Check the intended site and present conditions with a local operator before arranging a dive.

What the survey team reported

Sea Scan Survey describes repeated dives on the wreck off Grande Island and proposes Banshu Maru No. 52 as its identity. Its comparison uses the bow and stern shapes in a pre-conversion photograph, an estimated length around 37 metres and a recorded tonnage of 234 gross register tons. The team reports wire-rope coils on the deck, remains of a davit at the port quarter and a visible boiler. These are attributed survey observations, not a promise that every feature remains exposed today.

The survey account places its seabed circuit at 54 metres and describes a partly silt-buried hull with a split below the deck forward of the beam. The authors interpret that damage as consistent with a mine strike. They associate the wreck with the auxiliary minesweeper lost on 20 January 1942. That is the survey team's identification argument; it does not independently settle all older Nikko or Sakura accounts.

Depth and size reports need context

Mangos lists the named Banshu wreck in the channel west of Grande Island, gives 54 metres and variable visibility of 3–7 metres, and categorizes the dive as Technical Deep. Its stated vessel length of 50 metres differs from the survey team's approximate 37 metres. This guide leaves the length disagreement unresolved rather than selecting a size for navigation or dive planning.

Dive3D's author reports diving and scanning the wreck in January 2026 and lists 56 metres. That dated visit provides another depth report, but does not define whether the number refers to the deepest wreck feature or the surrounding seabed. The different figures are retained with their source scopes. Neither the scan date nor an operator listing establishes today's access or conditions.