Names:
Meriden (1919—1923)
El Capitan (1923-1942)
Majaba (1942-1946)
The SS El Capitan was built in 1919 and served extensively for the American Navy until it was placed out of service in March 1946, and later was scuttled at Subic Bay. The wreck lies on its port side at a depth of around 21m/69ft, and its top side is at 5m/16ft of depth. Divers can penetrate the wreck through the wide-open forward hole, and then go to the crew quarters area or to the rear cargo hold.
The wreck is 90m/295ft-long and 16m/52ft-wide and had a single 76mm gun on her bow.
History
She was originally built in 1919 as the merchant vessel SS “Meriden.” On May 14, 1942, she was taken over by the U.S. Navy under the name “El Capitan” and, after conversion into a miscellaneous auxiliary ship, was commissioned as USS “Majaba.”
On November 7, 1942, she was hit by a torpedo from the midget submarine HA-11 off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, which destroyed her engine room and boilers. Despite this damage, she later returned to service as “Majaba” (IX-102), serving as a floating quarters and storage ship for materials.
The picture shows El Capitan (Majaba ) abandoned grounded off the Tenaru River, Guadalcanal . The rescue boats are already missing.
After the end of the war, she was towed to the Philippines, where she remained in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, until early 1946, when she was moved to Subic Bay, Luzon. On March 14, 1946, her hull was placed in the reserve fleet at Subic Bay and, on the same date, she was declared a total loss by the War Shipping Administration. She was struck from the Navy List on March 28, 1946.
She sank at the pier on July 14, 1946, and since she had already been declared a loss, salvage was considered impossible. A typhoon is believed to have caused her final demise: at the northern edge of Ilanin Bay her anchor dragged, allowing her to drift onto a shallow reef, where she met her end.
The dive
I dived and scanned the wreck on January 10th 2026.
The Model
