LCU

The LCU — a decommissioned United States Navy Landing Craft Utility — is a purpose-sunk artificial reef wreck lying in the waters off Oahu's west coast, bringing yet another layer to the remarkable collection of military vessels that form Hawaii's most productive advanced dive sites. Landing Craft Utility vessels were essential workhorses of the mid-twentieth century American military, used for delivering troops, equipment, and supplies from ship to shore during amphibious operations throughout the Pacific theater and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. When the vessel reached the end of its operational life, it was deliberately sunk as an artificial reef off Oahu, adding to a tradition of military vessel scuttling that has endowed Hawaiian waters with some of the Pacific's most compelling wreck dives. The LCU rests at approximately 85 to 95 feet on a sandy bottom off the western shore of Oahu, in warm, clear water typical of Hawaii's leeward coastline. The relatively flat-bottomed, boxy hull form of the landing craft creates interior spaces different in character from the more rounded hulls of barges and freighters — wide, open cargo holds that have become carpeted with encrusting corals and serve as refuges for large schooling fish. Bluestripe snapper fill the interior in dense formations, while goatfish and wrasse patrol the perimeter at deck level. Moray eels occupy the many structural crevices and engineering recesses of the utilitarian military hull. Whitetip reef sharks are frequently encountered, resting on the sandy bottom beside the hull or inside the cargo hold. Hawaiian green sea turtles are regular visitors. The site is less frequently visited than the prominent south shore wrecks — Sea Tiger, YO-257, Mahi — which gives it a quieter, more exploratory character that appeals to divers seeking a less crowded experience. Access is by boat from operators covering the western Oahu coastline.