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Bonegi Beach Apart from being a really nice beach to swim at, this is also the location of the wreck of the Kinugawa Maru. It costs around $SBD25 for a carload but they have starting charging different prices for diving, swiming and photography Today many divers come to Bonegi to dive on the wreck. The bow section is popular with snorkelors because there is an abundance of coral and fish life amd it is close to the beach. The stern lies at 100 feet (30 m) and is easily accessible to recreational divers.
The Kinugawa Maru was built in 1931 by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki for Toyo Kaiun K.K. It displaced 6,937 tons and was 437 feet long and 58 feet wide. Powered by two six cylinder Mitsubishi Jukogyo diesel engines driving twin props, the ship had a cruising speed of 13.5 knots and a maximum speed of 16 knots. The ship was used for normal cargo trade around the Pacific until shortly before the start of World War II. At some time it was taken over by the Japanese forces and then used in the move south towards Australia. In late 1942 the Kinugawa Maru ended up being used as a support vessel for the Guadalcanal theatre of the Pacific war. She was forced to beach and was sunk by U.S. aircraft and coastal guns on 15 November 1942, while attempting to deliver men and supplies to Japanese forces holding the northern part of the island |
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