Just before the atomic bomb forced Japan into submission, the Imperial Navy sent a fleet of incredibly advanced combat subs to attack a major U.S. naval base in the Pacific. But when Japan surrendered, the U.S. Navy confiscated them, only to later have them scuttled near Hawaii when Soviet scientists demanded access. Now a team of explorers thinks they can find some of these lost subs in the Pacific's dark waters. From the Hawaiian island of Oahu, deep submergence vehicle pilots Terry Kerby and Max Cremer, along with a team of devoted explorers, prepare to dive to depths of nearly 3,000 feet to hunt for some of WWII's largest and fastest submarines - in a Japanese super-submarine graveyard.
Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4577/Overview#ixzz0WhEDETS4
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JAPANESE_SUBS_HAWAII?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Scuttled WWII Japanese subs found off Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) -- Two captured Japanese submarines scuttled by the U.S. Navy just after World War II have been discovered in the Pacific Ocean south of Pearl Harbor.
The subs were found in February in 3,000 feet of water by the pilots of two Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory submersibles, according to an announcement made Thursday by the lab and the National Geographic Channel, which partly funded and documented the mission.
One of the subs was 400 feet long and carried planes as well as enough fuel to travel around the world, said Hans Van Tilburg, maritime heritage coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuaries in the Pacific Islands.
The second sub had a streamlined body, conning tower and retractable guns, making it look more like a Cold War-era submarine, he said.
National Geographic Channel is set to broadcast the special "Hunt for the Samurai Subs" on Nov. 17.
Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4577/Overview#ixzz0WhEDETS4
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JAPANESE_SUBS_HAWAII?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Scuttled WWII Japanese subs found off Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) -- Two captured Japanese submarines scuttled by the U.S. Navy just after World War II have been discovered in the Pacific Ocean south of Pearl Harbor.
The subs were found in February in 3,000 feet of water by the pilots of two Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory submersibles, according to an announcement made Thursday by the lab and the National Geographic Channel, which partly funded and documented the mission.
One of the subs was 400 feet long and carried planes as well as enough fuel to travel around the world, said Hans Van Tilburg, maritime heritage coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuaries in the Pacific Islands.
The second sub had a streamlined body, conning tower and retractable guns, making it look more like a Cold War-era submarine, he said.
National Geographic Channel is set to broadcast the special "Hunt for the Samurai Subs" on Nov. 17.
