Masaya

The Masaya was originally one of a large number of four funnel flush deck destroyers built for the United States Navy during and immediately after the first world war. The vessel was built by the fore river shipbuilding corporation, Quincy, MA. The shipyard was later to become the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company, and the Masaya was christened there on the 16th February 1920 as the USS Dale DD 290.

After 10 years of service The Dale was decommissioned on the 1st May 1930 and sold to the standard fruit company of New Orleans and converted to banana carriers. It was after this conversion she was renamed Masaya and used as a fast fruit carrier between New Orleans and Central America where her shallow draft enabled her to go up rivers to plantations thus eliminating rail transportation. Manned by a crew of 19men, they could carry some 25,000 stems of fruit and her 16 knots eliminated the need for refrigeration but had air forced into the holds to keep the fruit cool.

The Masaya toiled away un-noticed until World War II when the situation on Corregidor became desperate. Early in 1942, General MacArthur asked for blockade runners directly from the United States. The three surviving banana boats were despatched under the U.S. Army transport bareboat charter, they were given army gun crews and an array of armament, loaded with sullies and send on their way. Masaya departed New Orleans on the 3rd March for Corregidor, via the Panama Canal, Los Angeles, and Honolulu, with a cargo of ammunition avgas, medical supplies and mail. While in Honolulu the Philippines surrendered and the Masaya was diverted to Australia where she was remained with an Aussie crew and she be became an interisland transport for General MacArthur.

At 0916 hrs on the 24th March the Masaya sailed from Milne Bay Papua New Guinea carrying troops and cargo bound for Tufi on Cape Nelson were she took on additional cargo belonging to the P.T. Fortilla and sailed again for the Fortilla's new base at Douglas Harbour on Cape Ward Hunt.

The Masaya left Tufi on 28th March for her forward supply base at Oro Bay some 45 nautical miles away where she was to take on 50 troops as a local defense force for the new base at Douglas Harbour. The plan called for the Masaya to offload her drums of avgas, portable radios, spare parts and general cargoes as well as troops at Douglas Harbour and set up a forward P.T. Base there.

The Masaya had a made up crew, an Australian captain, officers and crew to operate the vessel and a U.S. Army gun crews providing defense. Her armament consisted of 40mm bofors, 20mm cannon and.50 machine guns. When the Masaya was still 6 miles from Oro Bay, a flight of 18 enemy dive-bombers and 40 fighters flew over to raid Oro Bay. Seeing the old banana boat with her navel lines 5 dive-bombers broke from the formation to attack her. Six bombs were dropped, three beaming a direct hit on the stern section.
The Masaya sunk stern first at 1313 hrs and hit the bottom hard. Lost with the Masaya were 500 drums avgas, portable radios spare parts and other equipment, in fact equipment was now so scarce for the P.T. Boats that it would be another month before enough parts could be reassembled to try again.

This delay in establishing a base at Douglas Harbour made it less desirable site as the front had moved further north. A more desirable site was found at Morobe some 70 odd miles south of Lae.

The S.S.Masaya now rests on her starboard side in 165 ft of water. Visibility can be from poor to 60 ft her stern has extensive bomb damage as well as damage from hitting the bottom. Over the past 50 or so years the sea has done major damage to her thin plates but there is still plenty to see. Damage caused by the bombing and impact with the seabed are clearly visible just forward of the stern. The hull is buckled, the stern deck area and associated internal works are smashed. The deck with the houses attached has broken free of the hull, has slid down several feet towards the starboard side, and now rests on the sand. The deck is detached from the stern to a point forward of no 1 hatch where it remains attached to the hull detachment of the deck has opened up the internal spaces of the ship and should make penetration much easier and safer.