Ready to dive on the Aaron Ward

The American Gleaves (or Bristol) Class destroyer USS Aaron Ward sits upright on a sandy bottom at about 240 feet (70 m) off Tinete Point near Tulagi. The ship was commissioned as the destroyer DD-483 in 1942. The USS Aaron Ward was 348 feet long, 36 feet wide, displaced 1,839 tons and was capable of 35 knots at flank speed.  The ship was sunk in 1943 by bombs from a group of Japanese bombers. At the time of sinking, the ship was armed with four 5 inch guns, seven 20mm Oerlikons, two dual 40mm Bofors, five 21 inch torpedo tubes, and depth charge racks on either side of the stern.

For safety reasons, we planned to use twin tanks with a separate regulator and gauges on each tank, and Nitrox dive computers. We quickly bolted three sets of twin 80 cu ft alloy tanks together with stainless steel tank bands.  Our Poseidon Tech jackets are designed for this style of diving and were easily bolted onto the tank bands.  We had similar, though not identical regulator configurations. I attached my Scubapro G250 to the right tank with its tri-gauges and power inflator connected to my AIRII.  My Poseidon Jetstream went left-handed on the second tank with its own SPG.  We also hung a safety tank under the float at 5 metres as an additional air supply.

A dive to the two forward 5 inch guns and the bow, reaches a depth of about 200 feet (60 m).  You can then ascend to the bridge, examine the 20mm Oerlikons and the gun director (165 feet/50m).  A slightly deeper dive involves heading aft past the torpedo tubes, rear funnel, searchlight, 40mm Bofors, aft 5 inch guns, to the severely damaged stern.  The depth charge racks, rudder and one propeller can be seen without going below 215 feet (65 m).

We sank rapidly down the mooring line for 50 metres before we reached the highest point over the bridge of the destroyer USS Aaron Ward.  Our twin tanks provided more than enough air for our planned 20-minute dive on this famous wreck and the multi-stage decompression during our ascent.  Neil and Jenny Harris drifted out to the first of the two forward 5-inch guns.  Neil switched on his battery pack and began to video the wreck.  I followed over the top of the guns and out to the tilted-up bow reaching a depth of about 56 metres.  We then swam back past the 20mm Oerlikons, over the torpedo tubes, rear funnel, searchlight, 40mm Bofors, aft 5-inch guns, to the depth charge racks on the stern.  Out of time, we returned to the mooring and began our slow ascent.  It truly is an awesome dive!

For more information on DD-483 USS Aaron Ward and archival photos, see the NavSource Naval History website.