FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
(808)
956-3151, cell: (808) 429-7007, hickst@hawaii.edu
Researchers find 1941 Japanese midget sub
off Pearl Harbor
The
discovery of the 78-foot submarine took place during test and training dives on
the manned submersibles Pisces IV and Pisces V, in a region routinely used for
pilot training. This was only the 3rd time
in the schools history that the two Pisces vessels were diving together, and
was the final test dive for the season.
John
Wiltshire, associate director of the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory,
called the discovery “probably the most significant archaeological find in the
Pacific”. Barry Raleigh, Dean of the School of Ocean & Earth Science &
Technology (SOEST) says that this outcome “is a tribute to the drive and talent
of the HURL team.” Moreover, that the “discovery will surely open up some
interesting questions regarding the events leading up to the war in the
Pacific.”
“This
is a discovery of substantial historical significance to the state of
There
are plans to visit the site again, but there are no immediate plans to recover
the submarine. Although video footage shows the submarine in good condition,
the submarine has two torpedoes on board that may still be active. The sub may
also contain the remains of the two Japanese crew members.
HURL
is one of six national laboratories within the National Undersea Research
Program (funded by NOAA), and is the undersea research program within SOEST at
the
More
information and pictures see http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HURL/midget.html
Contact
Dr. John Wiltshire (808) 956-6042 johnw@soest.hawaii.edu