Honolulu: Two captured Japanese submarines
scuttled by the US Navy just after World War II have been
discovered in the Pacific Ocean south of Pearl Harbour.
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 earlier this week 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 November 17.
The two were among five Japanese submarines brought to
Pearl Harbour after the war for inspection. They were sunk by
the US Navy in 1946 when Russian scientists began demanding
access to the technology under terms of the treaty that ended
the war.
The submersibles, piloted by Terry Kerby, the lab's
operations director, and Max Cremer, came upon the subs while
conducting test and trial dives.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 09:24