Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive

IN THE SCHOOL OF OCEAN AND EARTH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I AT MANOA

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SUB-2: Wards Midget

Historic photo: Akira Hiro and Yoshio Katayama

Historic photo: Ha-19 midget sub bow torpedoes

Historic photo: Keehi midget sub conning tower

Historic photo: Shigemi Furno and Shigenori Yokoyama

Diagram: Wards midget conning tower cut away

HURL Artifact No.	SUB-2	*Denotes approximations and speculations


Name:	Ward's Midget Sub	Lost:	December 7, 1941 (0645 hrs)
Artifact Type:	Submarine	Found:	28-Aug-2002
Nationality:	Japanese	Dive No:	PIV-041/PV-494
Class or Make:	Midget	Location:	Defensive Sea Area
Model:	Type-A (Ko-hyoteki)	Depth (m):	400m
Purpose:	Harbor Attack	HURL crew:	T. Kerby, C. Wollerman, A. Kalvaitis/C. Holloway, C. Kelley, R. Shackleford
Serial Number:	*HA-15,16,18, or 20	Additional Dives:	PV-512, PV-557, (numerous other visits)
Built/Launched:	1941

Length:	78' 6"
Width:	6'
Height:	11.5'



Circumstance of Loss:	Sunk by 4" shell fired through conning tower by the USS Ward.	Crew Personnel/Position:	Ens. Hiro-o/PO Katayama or Ens. Furuno/PO Yokoyama

Reason of Loss:	Submarine was attempting to enter harbor to torpedo ships.	Crew Survivals/Fatalities:	Both crewmen killed in action

Artifact History:	Midget submarine was 1 of 5 used in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Ward's midget was the first casualty of the war in the Pacific. The first shot fired by the Ward missed. The second shot hit dead center on the conning tower right above the seam. The sub was then depth charged by the Ward and a PBY, but it had little effect. The attack occurred approximately 70 minutes prior to the arrival of the first wave of the air attack.

Artifact Condition:	Vessel is in excellent condition. 4" hole is readily visible on the starboard side of the conning tower exactly as reported. There is no sign of any depth charge damage. Torpedoes are present and undamaged as is the figure 8 torpedo guard. There is a small amount of line hanging from the periscope. The fore and aft guy wires have corroded off and lay atop the sub.

Additional Information:	Subsequent surveys to this site have noticed the development of a large crack between the bow and mid sections, also the signature torpedo guard had fallen off among other noticeable changes in the artifact that show the beginning of it's eventual deterioration. An ROV survey in 2016 revealed the bow section had finally broken off.

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