![]() ![]() Since 2002, NOAA and its partners have mounted several expeditions to the two mini submarine wrecks, most notably in 2005. The subs are monitored to assess changes in them over time, especially ongoing corrosion. ![]() Under an agreement with the Government of Japan, the submarines are managed by NOAA through the Office of General Counsel and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Maritime Heritage Program, and by the National Park Service. The two mini submarines are considered both historic sites and war graves. A single four-inch diameter hole in the hull, just below the conning tower, marks the first shot fired in the Pacific War. Intact, the sub lies in 1100 feet of water just a few miles from where Ward’s captain reported their brief encounter had taken place. In 2002, the same team from HURL discovered the submarine sunk by the USS Ward on the morning of December 7, 1941. The other two pieces were subsequently discovered. The two other mini submarines disappeared.ĭeep-water exploration in 1992 by the University of Hawaiʻi’s Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) rediscovered a mini submarine stern in 1500 feet of water, which proved in time to be the first of three pieces of the sub found in 1951. It was quickly engaged and sunk by the crew of the destroyer USS Ward. It is now on permanent display at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.Ī third submarine was observed more than an hour before the attack trying to follow a U.S. The submarine was studied and then toured the U.S. Another submarine washed ashore on the morning of December 8, and its surviving crew member, Kazuo Sakamaki, was captured along with his craft. Only one made it into the harbor, and it was quickly sunk during the attack that morning. While the aerial attack was devastating, the mini submarines failed in their mission. Then, they would dive and escape the harbor, and rendezvous with their "mother submarines," again under cover of darkness the night of December 7. They were to surface and fire their torpedoes during the aerial attack. ![]() Five of the submarines carried top-secret "mini submarines." These submarines, each armed with two torpedoes and carrying two crew members, were to penetrate inside the harbor under cover of darkness before the attack began. Freeman, courtesy of Valor in the Pacific National Historical ParkĪs part of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy sent an attack group of submarines to surround Oahu and sink ships attempting to flee. To those who fought in the war, to those whose lives were affected by the war, their children, grandchildren, and each succeeding generation, Pearl Harbor is a place where people from far-flung corners of the world can come together in peace to honor the memory of the fallen and to celebrate the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.Mounted on the after deck of the "mother" submarine I-24, mini submarine HA-19 is boarded by its crew, Kazuo Sakamaki and Kiyoshi Inagaki, in the pre-dawn hours of December 7, 1941. Located on the island of Oahu, "The Gathering Place," halfway between Japan and the mainland United States, Pearl Harbor will always be a welcoming place where survivors of the attack can reflect on the events which led to the war and which had such a profound impact on the lives of an entire generation. ![]() Today, Pearl Harbor remains an active military base, Headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, and a National Historic Landmark that's home to four unique attractions: from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that started it all, to the surrender of the Japanese on the deck of the mighty Battleship Missouri, these four historic sites together tell the story of the War in the Pacific, commemorating the accomplishments of a previous generation. Discover for yourself what Pearl Harbor means to you.Ĭalled Pu'uloa, meaning "long hill," or Wai Momi, literally, "water of pearl," by early Hawaiians, Pearl Harbor, so named because of the abundance of pearls once found within its protected waters, is the largest natural harbor in the State of Hawaii and the number one visitor destination on Oahu. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |