Now hear this: Sub show on NOVA

[August]

"Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor"

The Season 37 premiere of NOVA dives beneath the waters of Pearl Harbor to trace the mystery of Japan’s secret weapon of WWII: the midget submarine, tonight on PBS **** four star

[Thomen]

"Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor"

The Season 37 premiere of NOVA dives beneath the waters of Pearl Harbor to trace the mystery of Japan’s secret weapon of WWII: the midget submarine, tonight on PBS **** four star

DVRed it. =) Gonna watch later. :up:

[August]

That was damned interesting. It looks like the IJN submarine service got two torpedoes into battleship row on Dec 7th.

[SteamWake]

Watched it last night.

Looked to me like the mini subs got scattered all over. It was a suicide mission. Lastly not very sucessfull.

Some of the 'evidence' was quite subjective but convincing. But one basic question was left out.

How in the hell did the Japaneese get that many subs into that area that early in the war?!

[August]

How in the hell did the Japaneese get that many subs into that area that early in the war?!

I guess the same way they managed to get 6 carriers and the associated support fleet into the area. They just did it.

[Torplexed]

How in the hell did the Japaneese get that many subs into that area that early in the war?!

Basically moved them into position. Of Japan's 63 operational submarines, 27 took part in the Pearl Harbor Raid. Four subs patrolled in a picket line north of Oahu while the remaining subs deployed in positions around the Hawaiian Islands. What's amazing is they didn't sink more than a few merchants, although there were two unsuccessful attacks on the carrier Enterprise. On December 10th aircraft from the Enterprise caught the I-70 on the surface 200 miles south of Oahu and sank it making it the first Japanese warship lost in the Pacific War.

[nikimcbee]

I think they made a horrible (and common) mistake in that show. THE MIDGET DIDN'T CARRY THE LONG LANCE! I alway want to scream when they say this:damn:. The long lance that was really devasating was the Tyep 93 THE SURFACED launced torp. The sub version was the type 95 and I read it somewhere that they didn't manufacture a lot of them. The midgets used they Type 97. The interesting thing about these torps is that they were horribly unreliable (leaky oxygen tanks). The show was pretty good though. Discovery channel did a show on this also, where they made a mock up of pearl harbor and investigated the rooster tail in that famous picture.:salute:

[August]

Do you buy the theory that the midget sub was scooped up and dumped at sea along with the wreckage of the West Loch explosion? I would have thought there'd have been some mention in the official files of finding the remains of a Japanese sub inside the harbor.

[Thomen]

Do you buy the theory that the midget sub was scooped up and dumped at sea along with the wreckage of the West Loch explosion? I would have thought there'd have been some mention in the official files of finding the remains of a Japanese sub inside the harbor.

Maybe.. but it may also be that they wanted swipe everything that had to do with the explosion under a rug.

[nikimcbee]

Score one for ol fat mcbee:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/killersubs/[/URL]
:yeah:

podcast version
[URL]http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/killersubs/disc-flash.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSHHbfY6MVc&feature=related)

[nikimcbee]

The discovery channel one, the one the USS Ward sunk:yeah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtUFjNKJG8

pt 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRcTR9qvC78&feature=related

pt3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_O4H7YCZmY&feature=related

pt4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ajW_Hz-Yo&feature=related
pt5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ajW_Hz-Yo&feature=related

[August]

Maybe.. but it may also be that they wanted swipe everything that had to do with the explosion under a rug.

That was my first thought as well but I figure that while details of the accident were covered up publically for expediency purposes that doesn't mean they'd ignore potential evidence of enemy action as a cause.

Now *IF* the salvagers recognized it as an IJN sub and not some oddly shaped piece of pipe I would seriously doubt that it wouldn't have been mentioned somewhere in the official reports.

[Thomen]

Score one for ol fat mcbee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSHHbfY6MVc&feature=related
:yeah:

podcast version
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/killersubs/disc-flash.html

Wrong Youtube link?:hmmm:

[August]

Wrong Youtube link?:hmmm:

I'm guessing wrong thread :DL

[Thomen]

I'm guessing wrong thread :DL

That could be.. but the podcast was correct.. :D

[nikimcbee]

Wrong Youtube link?:hmmm:


oops:haha::oops:
d'oh

[nikimcbee]

link fixed:woot:

[Buddahaid]

That was my first thought as well but I figure that while details of the accident were covered up publically for expediency purposes that doesn't mean they'd ignore potential evidence of enemy action as a cause.

Now *IF* the salvagers recognized it as an IJN sub and not some oddly shaped piece of pipe I would seriously doubt that it wouldn't have been mentioned somewhere in the official reports.

My understanding is the LST accident was hushed to help prevent knowledge of an invasion force build up spreading. As far as the salvagers go, I don't have any problem with the get it done types just getting it done and moving on. The mystery came later.

[fred8615]

What was also glossed over in the show was that there was obviously some time spent on the sub as it was broken up into 3 pieces before it was dumped at sea. Nobody noticed all the gear inside when they cut it up?

But then on the other hand, the USN did already have an example of a Japanese midget sub. And one that was completely intact, as opposed to this one damaged by the scuttling charge. It was the one that was beached after the attack. Since they had that one, a second, damaged one may not have been deemed worthy of any mention once it was determined it was identical to the first.

[August]

My understanding is the LST accident was hushed to help prevent knowledge of an invasion force build up spreading. As far as the salvagers go, I don't have any problem with the get it done types just getting it done and moving on. The mystery came later.

Hushing it up publically isn't the same thing Budda. Nothing in the military is done without generating extensive reports.

[August]

What was also glossed over in the show was that there was obviously some time spent on the sub as it was broken up into 3 pieces before it was dumped at sea. Nobody noticed all the gear inside when they cut it up?

Or the bodies of the crew for that matter.