Maro Reef
Maro Reef is a largely submerged coral atoll located in the Hawaiian Islands">Hawaiian language">Hawaiian Islands. It was discovered in 1820 by Captain Joseph Allen of the ship Maro, after whose ship the reef was named. With a total area of, it is the largest coral reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It contains 37 species of stony coral. Unlike most atolls, the coral extends out from the center like spokes on a wheel. Located about northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, Maro Reef contains about of dry land which itself can be submerged depending on the tides. Some scientists believe that it "may be on the verge of drowning" because the reefs are detached and are vulnerable to strong storm waves.
USNS Mission San Miguel (T-AO-129) ran aground on the reef, while running at full speed and in ballast, and sank on October 8, 1957.
The ship was a Buenaventura class tanker built in WW2, and due to problems with LORAN reception miscalculated its location striking Maro reef. It was rediscovered in 2015 by NOAA divers. At 523 feet long it is the largest ship lost on Maro reef and noted for historical significant as WW2 T2 tank vessel.