Geography is the key in tourism and war; and in the case of Subic Bay, it played and plays an important role in both. The large bay is such an obvious choice for an easily defended natural harbor close to the nation’s capital that both the Spanish and the American colonial powers established their naval bases in Subic. Add to that a few years of Japanese control of Subic Bay during World War 2, and we get a cross-section of Philippine history in the form of shipwrecks at the bottom of the bay.
These days the pretty bay just a few hours by car north of Manila attracts tourists, not naval strategists. If they are divers, they can appreciate this underwater naval history museum.
History under the water
The most famous and most historically significant wreck in Subic is the USS New York, one of the world’s most modern battleships (an “armored cruiser”) when she was built. The ship participated in the Spanish-American war, which of course saw control of the Philippines switch hands to the Americans, albeit on the other side of the world, in Cuba. Later on, when naval technology had advanced to the point that the New York (which had been renamed a few times by then) became technologically redundant, she was used as a floating warehouse in Subic Bay.
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Once the Japanese approached at the onset of WWII, the Americans rather scuttled the ship than have it fall into enemy hands. As a result, the top of the wreck which used to be the New York is quite shallow, making it an accessible dive site even for moderately experienced divers. It’s a massive wreck, and several dives can be necessary to explore all of its external structures, including its impressive guns.
A look at the rich coral cover and the fairy basslets (the fish) on the wreck of the Banshu Maru
Exploring the Japanese WWII mine-sweeper Banshu, deeper than 50 meters
A diver looking into the wreck of the USS New York.
The short Japanese period of Philippine history is on display underwater in Subic Bay in the shape of the minesweeper Banshu Maru. The ship hit a mine in 1942 and sank to its resting place in about 55 meters—a significant depth, below what recreational scuba divers can safely reach. This wreck is a playground for technical divers; men and women descending with three or more tanks and with a precisely timed plan for returning to the surface. Only such a plan can ensure that nitrogen bubbles don’t form in the body of a diver, otherwise causing the dreaded decompression sickness (“the bends”).
A technical dive is a challenging undertaking, but being able to visit a wreck from a long-past war at a depth where it’s hidden from almost everyone else makes the effort well worth it. At this depth the sunlight reaching the wreck is much reduced (seawater absorbs light), and together with the sometimes murky waters in Subic Bay, it’s not always obvious what part of the minesweeper you are currently looking at during a dive—yet another interesting challenge for the wreck diver.
Finally, the post-war period is also on display in Subic Bay in the form of a wreck. By then the Philippines had become an independent nation but courtesy of forces agreements, the US Navy still maintained a massive base in Subic Bay. From this time stems the F4 Phantom fighter jet wreck. The airplane rests at a depth of 40 meters. Fighter jets are complex weapons, and they are exposed to vicious forces during their use.
Eventually, the wear and tear become so excessive that the fighter jet is unusable, and at that point the US military used this one for in-water target practice. The jet lies on the bottom of the bay in an upright position, and it’s an often-repeated underwater prank to sit in the cockpit of the plane wreck, as if the diver was a pilot in full scuba gear.
Seeing the wrecks in low visibility
The wreck of the F4 Phantom fighter jet, seen from above.
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