NOAA and HURL researchers explore Japanese midget subs near Pearl Harbor

The conning tower of the mini submarine sunk by the USS Ward. Photo: University of Hawaiʻi/HURL

On the morning of December 7, 1941, U.S. naval vessels and aircraft on patrol outside Pearl Harbor spotted a partially submerged submarine trying to enter the harbor, but alerts were not immediately sent. Ninety minutes before Pearl Harbor was bombed by air, the destroyer USS Ward fired on the mini submarine, sinking the sub. The event marks the first U.S. shots fired and the country’s entry into World War II in the Pacific.

The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory discovered the sunken submarine in August 2002.

On December 7, 2016, the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer explored this historic site and broadcast a live stream of the exploration.

Read more on Gizmodo, Popular Mechanics, and NOAA.