Maritime Archaeology/Marine Heritage
I-401: Largest diesel submarine ever built, found off of Barbers Point, Mar 2005.
On Thursday March 17th during a training exercise on a
new navigation system, the Hawai‘i Undersea Research Lab (HURL) discovered
the wreck of the Japanese World War II submarine I-401 sunk during target
practice in 1946. The wreck of the I-401 was found using the new track Link
5000 HA navigation system provided by NOAA's Ocean
Exploration Program. The wreck was found in 870m of water off Barbers
Point, Oahu. The I-401 was one of 3 aircraft carrying submarine built in
1944. These were the largest diesel electric submarines ever built comparable
in size to the largest present day nuclear submarines. They were 20 years
ahead of their time. The wreck sits upright on the bottom 5 stories high
and 400 feet long. The war ended before the I-401 could accomplish its mission
of launching its 3 folding wing planes to attack and destroy the Panama
Canal. The submarine was brought by a U.S. crew back to Hawai‘i (story
at www.pacerfarm.org/i-400/ ). The I-401 was sunk by torpedoes in a target practice exercise in 1946
to prevent its technology being surrendered to the Russians under a war
end agreement. The cold war was just beginning.
On March 15th, HURL also discovered the S-19 a World War
I vintage submarine scuttled off Pearl Harbor in about 1938. It sits upright
on the bottom in about 400m of water. Having completed this test and training
mission HURL has begun a 5 month expedition to Samoa and New Zealand to
dive on a series of giant volcanoes forming the eastern edge of the Indian
Australia Tectonic Plate which suffered a major earthquake and tsunami on
Dec 26, 2004 on its northern edge.
See Sunday's Star
Bulletin Article.
Photos below are courtesy of John M Johnson GM3, U.S. Crewmember
of I-400. Submitted by his son.
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