Killer Subs at Pearl Harbor-- Part 2

Back on January 18th, I wrote about the PBS special on the Japanese mini submarines at Pearl harbor December 7, 1941.

I'm continuing with it.

An area has been found outside of Pearl Harbor which is a World War II underwater museum of debris. Among the objects found are three pieces of a Japanese mini submarine. Items on the sub have positively identified it as one of the five making the attack that day.

Rudders on these submarines were different after the attack. The ones December 7th were too small for much maneuverability. Sharp-edged wire-cutters, called figure-eight net-cutters, were found on the bow to cut the submarine nets across the harbor entrance. Plus, there was a pulley.

Apparently, the other four mini subs didn't fire their torpedoes, but this one had empty torpedo tubes. A message was received by the Japanese Navy from the sub after the attack in morse code saying "Tora" which stood for a successful attack.

The ten sailors on the five submarines became instant heroes in Japan after the attack.

More to Come. --Cooter