RNZN Moa
The 7th of April 1943 was a big day at Tulagi. The first ship to be lost was the RNZN Moa. The Moa was hit by three bombs just forward of the boiler which broke her keel. The Moa sank very quickly - surface to bottom in just 7 minutes.
The Moa’s role was minesweeper and submarine chaser, and she played a pivotal role in the sinking of the Japanese submarine the I-1 which lies in shallow water off Cape Esperance on Guadalcanal (see the Honiara wreck dive pages).
The RNZN Moa lies in 36 to 42 metres of water. Vis can be poor (for the tropics that is), but well worth the visit and is the only diveable New Zealand Warship lost as an act of War (the others are too deep). Be sure to check out the Depth Charge racks at the stern and the 4” gun at the bow. The depth of this wreck allows lots of time to explore.