Japanese Samurai Subs found

I’m fairly certain that a single Japanese aircraft-carrying submarine carried-out at least one attack on the US mainland; the aircraft in question was successfully recovered by the submarine.

Twice, in fact:

http://www.offbeatoregon.com/o1101e-Japanese-submarine-blasted-its-way-into-Oregon-history.html

I’m fairly certain that a single Japanese aircraft-carrying submarine carried-out at least one attack on the US mainland; the aircraft in question was successfully recovered by the submarine.

The physical damage was negligible but the US military were left wondering where the single-engined Japanese aircraft had come from (and returned to)?

I’ll have to look it up.

I’m not certain, that’s just my understanding. I thought I’d read somewhere that the Seirans and I-400’s (if all had been built) were to attack the West coast of the US but it looks like I imagined it. I can’t find any mention of it amongst the stuff I have at home or on the websites I usually frequent.

Regards,

kev35

I thought it was torpedoes 😀

I stand corrected! 😮

Friday was the anniversary of the only Japanese naval attack on an Australian harbor if I am not mistaken, correct me if I am wrong.

From Wikipedia : On the evening of the 31st May/morning of the 1st June 1942, Sydney harbour came under direct attack from Japanese midget submarines. HMAS Kuttabul, a converted ferry being used as a troop sleeper, was hit and sunk. 22 sailors were killed, 19 Australians and 2 members of the Royal Navy.

I thought it was torpedoes 😀

Regards,

kev35

Firstly the I-400 Class submarines weren’t scuttled but sunk as targets in the late Spring and early Summer of 1946 by the US Navy.

That’s splitting-hairs a bit (even for this forum)…..shall we say ‘scuttled by gunfire’? :p

Edgar.

That was one of their intended uses.

Regards,

kev35

One report that I read said the aircraft were to have attacked the Panama Canal (lock gates, presumably?)

Firstly the I-400 Class submarines weren’t scuttled but sunk as targets in the late Spring and early Summer of 1946 by the US Navy. The Seiran aircraft weren’t intended to be ditched. In fact they were a floatplane which would land alongside the subnarine and be recovered and stowed in the hangar. It was, in truth, a pointless exercise as the maximum bomb load carried by each aircraft was less than 2,000 lbs or a single torpedo. If all 28 submarines scheduled to be built had deployed simultaneously against a US target that woulkd have given a total of 84 aircraft with a maximum capacity of shy of 160,000 lbs. Operating over US territory with no escort it would have been a disaster waiting to happen. The surviving Seiran was captured in Japan at an aircraft manufacturing facility. The aircraft of the three I-400’s that were deployed were destroyed by firing them from the submarine’s catapults without attaching the wings.

The Ward and the Monaghan destroyed two midget submarines, I think the Ward’s victim was close to the harbour and it seems the Monaghan’s was inside. You could say that the first shots fired between the USA and Japan in the Pacific theatre were in fact fired by the USS Ward.

Regards,

kev35

Did anyone see the History channel program a while back which presented evidence that at least one midget sub was at Pearl during the attack.
The evidence is based on a photo taken by a Japanese Attacking Aircraft which accidentally captured what looks like a midget sub breaking surface, and the trail of a torpedo heading towards battleship row.
The midget subs were known to surface suddenly after torp launch due to the effects of buoyancy and before the crew could trim again.
I’ve read books on the subject and all say that no subs were at Pearl but this image looked intriguing. I guess it’s possible one did sneak in and then subsequently sunk outside the Harbour.

C.D…..Warren, When I delved further into this story, on Wiki, I never realised just how many different Countries in the world, had the capabilities of being able to use submarines to launch aircraft.
There was, if I remember an attack on the West Coast of the USA but from a subs deck gun, no aircraft were used.
It’s surprising that the subs would go all the way to the States, and had 3 aircraft to attack whatever target had been chosen, go back to the sub, and then DITCH, seems like a one time, throw away aircraft, however, as I see it, they had a crane on the subs deck, so why didn’t they recover the aircraft, and stow them below for future use?.
It’s the same old story, scuttle the subs, but save an aircraft,(The aircraft was given to the USA forces upon the surrender of Japan), but the subs scuttled.
I agree it would have been nice to save one of the subs for historical reasons, but it seems aircraft are more “Saveworthy” than ships or the small boats as used in the “D” day landings.etc.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I think the Japanese did actually attack the US mainland on one occasion; the only such attack during the whole of WW2 (not counting the intercontinental balloon attacks).

Overall, although the Japanese put a lot of design and construction effort into these submarines (and their aircraft), the influence that they had on the outcome of WW2 was absolutely negligible. What is a great pity is that two of these amazing vessels were scuttled by the US Navy, apparently, because the Soviet Union was sending naval architects to examine them. What a fascinating museum-ship one of these would have made!

Thankfully one of the aircraft that this class carried, an Aichi M6A Seiran, has been preserved in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aichi_M6A

There was a tv programme on them they were plans to attack the US with them.

C.D….Warren, thanks for the link. They would have wreaked havoc had they seen action. Very clever the Japanese, and certainly a force to be reconed with.
Jim.

Lincoln .7

Japanese I-400 class aircraft-carrying submarines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-400_class_submarine

They were scuttled by the US Navy off Hawaii after the Japanese surrender.