El Capitan

El Capitan: the cargo wreck known as USS Majaba

El Capitan is a Subic Bay wreck identified by Camayan Divers and Scubaholics with USS Majaba, formerly the merchant ship Meriden. Its interest lies in the remains of a cargo vessel and a wartime history that continued after serious damage. The torpedo attack described in naval records happened off Guadalcanal; it was not the event that put the ship in Subic Bay.

From merchant ship to wartime auxiliary

The Naval History and Heritage Command records Meriden's construction in Portland, Oregon, in 1919. The US Navy acquired the ship under charter as El Capitan in April 1942, renamed it Majaba and commissioned it. After conversion, it carried supplies between Pacific islands, eventually supporting operations around Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

In November 1942, a torpedo struck the ship off Lunga Point, damaging its engine room and boilers. It did not sink there. A tug moved the disabled vessel along Guadalcanal's coast and beached it. The official history later describes service as floating quarters and storage in the Solomon Islands. After the war it was towed to the Philippines, reaching Subic in early 1946 before being taken out of service that March.

What remains to see

Camayan describes the wreck lying on its port side, with shallow starboard structure and deeper parts reaching about 22 metres. Its account highlights the forward and rear cargo holds. Scubaholics likewise describes a hull on its port side and emphasizes the cargo spaces. These descriptions help distinguish the site from Subic's landing craft and armoured cruiser wrecks, but they are operator accounts rather than a recent structural survey.

The operators publish different shallow-end measurements: Camayan lists 4 metres and Scubaholics 3 metres. Neither figure should be treated as the depth of every route. Discuss which exterior features a proposed dive will cover rather than assuming that a shallow part makes the whole wreck suitable for you.

Keep the historical and diving questions separate

Scubaholics gives a July 1946 sinking date. The reviewed naval history establishes the ship's post-war presence at Subic but does not document that final sinking. This guide therefore retains uncertainty about the precise circumstances instead of presenting the operator's date as independently confirmed.

Both operator pages discuss wreck-diving training. Their descriptions of large holds do not make entering them equivalent to swimming around the exterior. Confirm current access, structural condition and the route appropriate to your training with the operator. This guide does not provide a penetration route or promise the visibility, current conditions or wildlife reported on earlier dives.

Camayan estimates the wreck’s length at 80 metres. That operator-reported scale helps explain the separation of the forward and rear cargo spaces; it is not a recent measurement or a route-distance recommendation.