The Japanese Submarine I-70-- Part 3

9 Dec. 1941--  4 miles southwest of Diamond Head, Oahu.  At 1:30 AM reports the arrival of the USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor.  This is the last signal received from the I-70.

10 Dec 1941--  The I-6 reported a Lexington-Class aircraft carrier and cruiser heading northeast.  SunRon1 and other boats ordered  to pursue and sink the carrier.  So, the ship is still operating at this time.

One hundred and twenty-one miles NE of Cape Halawa, Molokai, Hawaiian Islands.  After 0600, Ensign Perry L. Teaff's Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless dive bomber of VS-6 from the USS Enterprise sighted a surfaced submarine, the I-70, and attacks.  Has a near-miss with a 1,000 pound bomb that damages it and prevents it from submerging.

In the afternoon, another SBD-2 of VS-6 from the Enterprise, flown by Lt. (jg) Clarence E. Dickinson, back aboard his ship after being shot down at Pearl Harbor during the Dec. 7th attack,  sighted a surfaced submarine in the same area.  (He is the reason I am writing about the I-70 now.  See March blog) 

He climbs to 5,000 feet for a diving attack.  The I-70 spots him and commences a slow-turn to the starboard, opening fire from its 13 mm machine gun.  The bomb lands right beside the I-70, amidships.  The explosion throws several gunners overboard.  The submarine stops and starts to settle on an even keel, disappearing about 45 seconds later.

More to Come.  --GreGen

The Japanese Submarine I-70-- Part 2

Continued from March 18th.  From the Combine Fleet site.

This is the Japanese submarine that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor and is considered to be the first Japanese ship (other than the mini submarines) sunk by the U.S. in the war and the first sunk by American planes.

This is a timeline of its movements until it disappeared and presumed sunk.

20 November 1941--  Arrives at Kwajalein, refuels and reprovisions.

23 Nov. 1941--  Departs for Hawaii

2  Dec. 1941--  Coded signal "Climb Mt. Niitake 1208 received.  Hostilities set to commence 8 Dec., Japanese time.

7 Dec. 1941--  The I-70s SubDiv 12 to patrol 25-50 miles from south of Oahu.  they were to reconnoiter and attack any American ship making a sortie from Pearl Harbor.  The I-70 stationed ten miles from entrance.  At midnight fails to answer a radio call from Katori.

The Part of Pearl Harbor You Don't Hear About.  --GreGen

Wilmington Launches Its 65 th Liberty Ship

From the February 20, 2013, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Back Then."

FEBRUARY 7, 1943--  The SS Matt W. Ransom , the 65th Liberty Ship launched by Wilmington's North Carolina Shipbuilding Company.  It was named for a Confederate General from North Carolina who later became a US senator.

FEBRUARY 9, 1943--  Among rationed items in the Wilmington area:  shoes, fuel oil, sugar, gasoline, general groceries, tires and coffee.

GreGen

Pearl Harbor Survivors Honored

From the December 12, 2011, Rome (NY) Observer.

Syl Puccio, 90, was honored at the 21st Annual Remembrance Luncheon.  His actions that day helped keep the USS West Virginia from capsizing like the Oklahoma and saved countless lives.

He served in the Navy from 1939 to 1947.  Puccio and another man had to open a damage control locker to get at valves to counterflood, but neither had a key.  So they smashed the hinges with a steel crank.  The other man opened the valves and the West Virginia settled on an even keel.

Leo Cross, 88, served in the Navy from 1940-1945 and the Air Force from 1948 to 1963.  He was on the USS New Orleans that day and had just finished eating and manned a anti-aircraft gun.

The Greatest Generation.  --GreGen

U.S. Firm Finds 2nd Silver-Laden British Shipwreck

From the October 11, 2011, Reuters.Tampa, Florida's Odyssey Marine Exploration found the North Atlantic wreck of the SS Mantola at  8,250 feet, 110 miles from the site of the SS Gairsoppa shipwreck.

It was sunk February 9, 1917, torpedoed by a German U-boat, carrying 600,000 ounces of silver worth some $18 million today.

The Gairsoppa was sunk February 17, 1941, during World War II and is 15,510 feet deep, carrying 7 million ounces of silver.  This is the largest-known cargo of precious metal ever discovered. 

The company plans to salvage both sites in 2012, using remote operated submersibles.  The company gets to keep 80% of whatever they recover.

I Know Some Folks Who Are Going to Be Mighty Rich.  --GreGen

Honolulu's World War II Landmarks-- Part 2

HOTEL STREET in China Town, once a hotbed of prostitution operating with the knowldege of the U.S. military.  This was the center of much off-base action in the book and movie "From Here to Eternity."

Today it is an area of restaurants, bakeries and lei shops.

PAGODA-LIKE BUILDING--  was  the site of the legendary, now-closed Wo Fat restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Hawaii.  The producers of the original "Hawaii Five-O" TV show named their arch villain after the place.

Another of the few remnants of the World War II era is the neon sign of the HUBBA HUBBA,  no longer in business. The place was an "infamous exotic dance hot spot.  The risque neon sign is all that remains of the run-down building that was boarded up in 1997.

There is a historic area between Bethel Street and Aala Triangle.

LA MARIANA SAILING CLUBis in industrial Sand Island between Pearl Harbor and Honolulu.  However, its tiki-themed bar didn't open until 1957, but it is a prime example of a World War II watering hole.  (Could it have been the bar shown the night before Pearl Harbor was attacked in the movie of the same name?)

HALE KOA is a modern concrete hotel near Ft. DeRussey Park with absolutely no 1940s ambience, but is a recreational center for military and veterans.  They serve the strongest mai tai in Waikiki and a good place to meet Pearl Harbor survivors.

Taking a Trip Back Into History.  --GreGen

Honolulu's World War II Landmarks-- Part 1

From the December 10, 2011, Seattle Times "Honolulu landmarks offer glimpse of wartime period" by Gary A. Warner of the Orange County Register.

Most people know about the Pearl Harbor aspect of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, but there are places still standing from the war in Honolulu.  Here are some of them:

The MOANA SURFRIDER luxury hotel on the beach at Waikiki is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year (2011).

The ROYAL HAWAIIAN "The Pink Palace of the Pacific" opened in 1927 and served as a recreational facility for servicemen during the war.  Like at the MOANA, its beachfront was strung with barb wire during the war.

ALOHA TOWER, 184-feet tall and the tallest building in Honolulu when it opened in 1926 and up until the 60s.  Made the NRHP in 1976.

There Is More World War II in Honolulu.  -- GreGen

Camp Laguna Turned Boys Into Desert Men-- Part 2

Private Hardrath got to Yuma twice and remembers it as a small town with Native Americans selling jewelry and crafts.  Then, there were the watering holes, "These joints were popular among the soldiers and we really guzzled beer."

Their next destinations, North Africa and Europe, proved a dangerous assignment, "To my knowledge, nearly everyone who went into the field with my company, aside from the support people, was hit by enemy fire.  This included both officers and men.  Even I was hit in the leg after fighting the Germans in France for 31 days.  I spent a year in the hi\ospital after that."

Today, the US Army Proving ground is the Army's desert environmental center where a wide variety of weapons are tested including the M1 Abrams tank, M777 howitzer, Apache helicopter and unmanned aircraft.  It has a workforce of 3,000 military and civilian workers.

Hitting the "Watering Holes."  --GreGen

Camp Laguna Turned Boys Into Desert Men-- Part 1

From the Dec. 18, 2011, Yuma (Az) Sun by Chuck Wullenjohn.

Tens of thousands of US servicemen trained at the Camp Laguna US Army Desert Training Center in the harsh Arizona desert, now the US Army Yuma Proving Grounds.  These men lived in canvas tents and made forced marches to prepare for service in North Africa.

The mostly-drafted recruits arrived on the Southern Pacific Railroad and took a 25-mile to the camp.  For many, it was their first experience with a desert environment.

From the account of Howard Hardrath of Co. C, 313th Inf. Regt, 79th Division who arrived July 14, 1943 and departed December 5th.  He reported they were acclimated the first ten days, rarely let out of their tents and then just for night marches.

"Even in the evening it was hot.  Later, they had both night and day forced marches "(and believe me, forced marches are no joy). 

One time, his unit was out of camp for a full month during a maneuver during which they underwent "water training-- one quart of water per day."  He said they really suffered from that.

Rough Training in the Desert.  --GreGen

Is the USS North Carolina Seaworthy?

From the Dec. 14, 2011, "Mr Reporter: After repairs are completed on the Battleship North Carolina, will she be seaworthy again?"

Captain Terry Bragg, director of the battleship reports, "Now that repairs are completed to the starboard bow, the ship is considered sound and ready for continued service as the state of North Carolina's World War II Memorial." 

However, dredging of the boat slip, refloating (it's sitting in the mud right now) and a full Coast Guard Inspection would be required before a certification of "seaworthy" is warranted.

Future plans for the ship include more hull repairs (the ship has been in th water in Wilmington for over 50 years now), replacement of hull plates, removal of 1,5 million gallons of ballast water and underwater inspections and floating the ship in it berth.

The "Showboat" Hangs On.  --GreGen

The USS Perch (SS-176)-- Part 2

Once again, the Perch resurfaced on March 3rd and repairs were being made despite the deck being awash and only one engine operating.  A test dive was made which proved to be near fatal and only with great difficulty did the ship resurface again.

Almost immediately, the Perch was spotted by a Japanese battle group consisting of two cruisers and three destroyers.  Shells began straddling the submarine and with no opportunity to dive, the order was given to "Abandon ship, scuttle the boat."

The entire crew was picked up by one of the destroyers.  Of 54 men and 5 officers, all but six who died of malnutrition in Japanese prison camps, were able to return home after VJ Day.

On November 23, 2006, the Perch's wreck was found by an expedition searching for the wreck of the HMS Exeter (68) a heavy cruiser sunk March 1, 1942, in the Second Battle of Java Sea.

The Story of a Ship.  --GreGen

The USS Perch (SS-176)-- Part 1

A follow-up to today's earlier post.  This was Ernie Plantz's ship.

From Wikipedia.

The Perch was the lead ship of her class and commissioned 19 November 1936 and joined the Pacific fleet's Submarine Squadron 6 (SubRon6) and operated around the Philippines during the year before the war began.  The ship was in Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines when the war broke out and witness to the bombing of that place.  It later made it to Darwin, Australia, for repairs.

On March 1, 1942, the Perch was attacking an enemy convoy near Java when it was spotted by two Japanese destroyers, attacked, and driven to dive where depth charges caused much damage, knocking out the starboard motors and flooding the ship.

Temporary repairs were made and the Perch resurfaced March 2nd.  It was spotted by destroyers and attacked again.  A huge loss of oil and air convinced the Japanese ships that the Perch was breaking up and they left.

More to Come.  --GreGen

Connecticut World War II Submariner Tells His Story

From the February 22, 2013, Norwich (Ct) Bulletin "Meet a Veteran: Ernie Plantz, of Gales Ferry" by James Mosher.

Ernie Plantz joined the Navy as a seaman a year after graduating from high school in Charleston, West Virginia.  Between those times, he served a ten-month stint with the Civilian Conservation Corps.  He completed his basic training at Norfolk, Virginia, and served on the battleship USS New Mexico before volunteering for submarine duty on the USS Perch 

The submarine was scuttled after receiving serious damage during the Battle of Java Sea in March 1942..  He was one of 54 sailors and 5 officers taken prisoner and sent to the Mokassar prison camp in Indonesia.  It held some 3,000 Allied prisoners.  Six of his shipmates did not survive their captivity.  Once he suffered 75 blows to his rear end with a baseball bat.

Prisoners built radio towers and moved pillboxes.  Plantz got a severe case of dysentery and malaria and lost 100 pounds while in prison.  After spending 1,297 days in captivity, he was liberated in September 1945.

He later served on the submarines USS Tautog, Diablo and Bushnell and later was an instructor at the US Navy's Groton Navy School, retiring as a lieutenant.

Quite the Story.  --GreGen

Texas' Kenedy Detention Camp

From the Handbook of Texas Online and Densho Encyclopedia.

The camp was located in Kenedy, Texas (spelled with the one "n," not two like I originally thought) and originally would hold only men whose families had been sent elsewhere.  The Army took over it in 1944 and it became a POW camp.  Before the war, it had been the J.M. Nichols Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

In April 21, 1942, the first internees arrived: 456 Germans, 156 Japanese and 14 Italians.  Most of the Japanese were from Mexico.  The Germans and Italians were from Central and South America.

A book has been written on the camp by Robert H. Thonoff.

Hadn't Heard of It before.  --GreGen

Who Were Those Japanese-Peruvians During World War II?

From Wikipedia.

At the beginning of World War II, there were some 26,000 people of Japanese descent living in Peru.  The U.S. State Department reached an agreement with Peru and 1,779 of these people were transferred to the United States for incarceration in internment camps.

I sure didn't know about these people. 

GreGen

A Follow Up to California's Tuna Canyon Detention Station-- Part 2

The first enemy aliens arrived at the camp December 16, 1941 and between then and May 25, 1942, some 1,490 Japanese males passed through the camp.  Later, Japanese-Peruvians were transferred to the Kenedy INS detention camp in Texas.

Tuna Canyon included seven barracks, an infirmary, mess hall, office building, medical care and barbershop.  Visitors were allowed, but one Sunday, 1,837 showed up causing all sorts of problems and after that, visits were limited to just two minutes.

One person of particular interest incarcerated at the camp was Toraichi Kono, Charlie Chaplin's chauffeur and personal secretary until 1934.  he had been accused of being a Japanese spy.

After the war, the site became a Los Angeles probation school for boys until 1960 when a group of doctors bought it and built the Verdugo Hills Golf Course which is still operating, but since sold to developers who want to build 229 homes on it.

Peruvian-Japanese?  Looks like something I'll have to look up.

Stuff I Didn't Know.  --GreGen

A Follow Up on California's Tuna Canyon Detention Station-- Part 1

Continuing from the March 27th post.  From the Densho Encyclopedia.

Ask most Americans, particularly younger ones about Japanese-American internment camps in the United States during World War II and you'll most likely get a blank look.

I'm aware of them, but until I found the article about this camp, I was unaware of its existence.

The Tuna Canyon Detention Station is where Issei were detained by the FBI after Pearl Harbor.  It opened Dec. 16, 1941, and was a temporary stopover until they could be transferred elsewhere.   With a 300 capacity, it was located  in Tujungo, California, near Pasadena in Los Angeles County.  It closed in September 1945.

Other temporary stations for those classified as enemy aliens were at Ellis Island, East Boston in Massachusetts, Cincinnati, Angel Island in San Francisco Bay and Seattle.  In December 1941, 279 Japanese-Americans,, 248 German-Americans and 81 Italian-Americans were incarcerated at Ellis Island.

The La Tuna Camp had originally opened in May 1933 as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp located at 6330 Tujunga, about 14 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

More to Come.  --GreGen

Australia's MV Krait

From Wikipedia.

Named after a small, extremely  poisonous snake.

Originally a Japanese fishing boat that operated out of Singapore before the war called the Kofuku Maru.  Taken over  by the Allies and evacuated over 1,100 people from ships sunk along the East Coast of Sumatra.

In September 1943, it was used by  by the "Z" Special Unit to sink seven ships in Singapore Harbor.

After the war, the ship was sold and it operated off Borneo.  In 1964, it was purchased for use by the Australian Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol before being acquired by the Australian War Memorial in 1985 where it serves today as a museum ship.

Never Heard of the Ship Before.  --GreGen

Bid to Save Famous Australian Ship

From the February 23, 2013, News.com.au "Bid to save former World War II Japanese fishing boat MV Krait" by Ian McPhederan.

The Australian War  memorial is asking the New South Wales government and the corporate sector for help in saving the former Japanese fishing boat MV Krait.  In September 1943, the 21 meter vessel with 14 members of the top secret "Z" Special Unit entered Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbor.

The Australians then paddled into the harbor and sank 39,000 tons of enemy shipping and then returned to Australia.

As a result, Operation Jaywick sank more enemy shipping than any other Australian ship.  The Krait is now tied to the Australian  National Maritime Museum in Darling and in bad shape.

Save That Ship.  --GreGen

Pearl Harbor Survivors

This last year's annual Las Vegas, Nevada, Veterans Day Parade was the last one that the handful of survivors of Chapter 2 Silver State Pearl Harbor Survivors Association will be in as an official organization.

Clifton Dohrman said the group is down to just five and all have health problems.

Sad to See Them Go.  --GreGen