"Researchers on Thursday announced the discovery of two World War II Japanese submarines, including one meant to carry aircraft for attacks on American cities and the Panama Canal, in deep water off Hawaii, where they were sunk 63 years ago. "The submarines, among five that were captured by American forces at the end of the war and brought to Pearl Harbor for study, were found off Oahu at a depth of about 2,600 feet using submersibles from the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, which is financed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and located at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The five were towed to sea in 1946 and torpedoed, and the researchers said one reason for that was to avoid having to share any of the technology with the Russian military. "One of the Japanese craft, the I-201, was capable of speeds of about 20 knots while submerged, making it among the fastest diesel submarines ever made. Like other Japanese subs, it had a rubberized coating on the hull, an innovation intended to make it less apparent to sonar or radar." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/science/13wreck.html?hp Dave
Fascinating article, Dave. It's interesting how modern technology is allowing us a window into the past. Good find.
"U.S. researchers said Thursday that they have located the remains of two high-tech Japanese submarines that were scuttled by the U.S. Navy off Hawaii in 1946 to prevent the technology from falling into the hands of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Cold War. "One of the craft was the largest non-nuclear sub ever built and had the ability to circle the globe 1 1/2 times without refueling. Called the I-14, the behemoth was 400 feet long and 40 feet high and carried a crew of 144. It was designed to launch two folding-wing bombers on kamikaze missions against U.S. cities such as New York and Washington, D.C., although changes in tactics, and the end of the war, prevented such attacks." 2 Japanese subs sunk after World War II found -- latimes.com http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code...ects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19630308000 http://combinedfleet.com/kaigun.htm http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HURL/I-401.html http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...ld+War+II+Japanese+attack+subs+found+off+Oahu
I was just reading about this here (good overall article) WWII subs Japanese wanted to use to launch bubonic plague into U.S. found off coast of Hawaii | Mail Online Seemed like very impressive machines, even stating in the article that they seemed closer to Cold War subs then WWII.