My first find was the "Yokohoma Maru" and I was put over this site by the local inhabitants of Salamaua and told that it was a Japanese ship and that it was bombed by the Americans. I already new that the Yokohoma Maru was sunk at Salamaua but did not know where, so I assumed this was the wreck in question. I started doing some research into wrecks and as I already had a mate doing research into war history in Wewak I enlisted his help and found that on the 10th March 1942 there were 4 ships lost in the Lae - Salamaua area and currently dive two of these, the "Tenyo Maru" and the "Yokohoma Maru". The "Kongo Maru" is in very deep water and the 4th ship has never been found and was probably salvaged by the Japanese.

My research took me to start reading a great deal, something I never relay liked but I found the histories of the various squadrons fascinating and I found the local library an excellent source and also my friend Dave Pennefather's collection of research books another excellent source. From then on, I was always at David's place reading and with, David writing to the various departments of the Air Force and the Navy in America and the Australian War Museum, We put together a huge pile of info on the wrecks of the country.

One of my major researches was on the Dutch cargo ship S'Jacob, a cargo vessel sunk in the battle on Porlock Harbour. At first we had very little to go on except that the "Jacob" was sunk off Porlock Harbour by Japanese aircraft. I gradually built up a file on this vessel and even today I am still adding to it.

A recent piece of info that came to hand was that of President Clinton posthumously awarding the medal of honor to a crew member some 55 years after the event. This was George Watson, a African American and "The George Watson Saga" makes interesting reading. After several years and failed attempts to find this vessel I recruited 2 friends of mine Alan Jamerson and Shane Crowley to take my sonar equipped vessel Barbarian 1 down to Porlock Harbour and start searching, with instructions to find it or don't come back alive.

We had narrowed down the position from photos and reports also where I had looked on several prior attempts. This is where patience and the right equipment come into being. Shane was very dedicated in finding it and above all he was meticulous in his sonar runs and this was in the day before GPS where everything had to be done with a hand bearing compass and radar, now it is just to easy.

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