Wreck of Monster IJN Submarine I-400 Found off Hawaii!

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by Kptlt. Hellmut Neuerburg

How much that would of effected the war I can't say since where major shipyards on the West Coast and ship production would probably outweigh any damage done to the Panama Canal itself.

By the time the aircraft and these submarines were ready, the fortunes of war had turned so badly against the Japanese that attacks on either the Panama Canal or the U.S. West Coast were ruled out as useless gestures. With 80% of the US fleet already operating in the Pacific after Germany's surrender, striking the canal was seen as pointless. The mother submarines with their aircraft were deployed instead against Ulithi Atoll, the principal American carrier base in the western Pacific. However, the surrender order was received just before the attacks were launched, and the submarines were surrendered to the Americans while en route back to Japan.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

By the time the aircraft and these submarines were ready, the fortunes of war had turned so badly against the Japanese that attacks on either the Panama Canal or the U.S. West Coast were ruled out as useless gestures. With 80% of the US fleet already operating in the Pacific after Germany's surrender, striking the canal was seen as pointless. The mother submarines with their aircraft were deployed instead against Ulithi Atoll, the principal American carrier base in the western Pacific. However, the surrender order was received just before the attacks were launched, and the submarines were surrendered to the Americans while en route back to Japan.

I know, I was talking about one of those countless "what if" scenarios, even if the subs had been used for their intended purpose, an attack on the Panama Canal would of in any case failed.

[Aktungbby]

A strategic attack on the Panama Canal would probably have succeeded in getting there, but a direct strike against the lock(s) as with the dam buster raid on the Elbe in Germany, is a tough objective to hit tactically. Moreover, the large two-ocean US Navy, with facilities on both coasts for ship construction and repair, obviated the strategic concern regarding the inter ocean exchange between the Atlantic and Pacific fleets through Panama with the unbombable Magellan Straight always in reserve; a week's difference in time perhaps,( but that never stopped the 49ers!) It would have amounted to a morale wake up call, at best on par with the Doolittle Raid.