AH-WR-0393

Japanese Type A midget submarine (HA-19 class)

Midget Submarine · Japan · Lost 1941 · The Hawaiian Islands

A Japanese midget submarine sunk by USS Ward more than an hour before the Pearl Harbor air attack began, firing what many consider the first American shot of the Pacific war.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

This Japanese Type A midget submarine attempted to slip into Pearl Harbor ahead of the December 7, 1941 air attack, but was spotted and sunk by the destroyer USS Ward, which fired the first American shot of the Pacific war. Both crewmen were killed. The wreck lay undiscovered for sixty years until a University of Hawaii research submersible found it intact in 2002.

Vessel

Built: 1941
Builder: Not established
Yard: Japan
Material: Steel
Length: 78 ft
Beam: 6 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Battery-electric, single screw
Owners: Imperial Japanese Navy

Loss

Date: December 7, 1941
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Defensive Sea Area off the entrance to Pearl Harbor
Water: Pacific Ocean, off Oahu
Voyage: Attempting to infiltrate Pearl Harbor ahead of the air attack
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 2
Lives lost: 2
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 1300 ft
Condition: Found in excellent condition, with the shell hole from USS Ward's gun still visible in the conning tower.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2002-08-28
Protection: Protected as a war grave under agreement between the United States and Japan

Position

Coordinates: 21.30° N 157.95° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Entrance to Pearl Harbor, Oahu
Region: The Hawaiian Islands

General location off the Pearl Harbor entrance; precise coordinates are not published to protect the war-grave site.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)

The submarine's individual hull number among the five midget submarines used in the attack is not conclusively established.

Oceanography (journal of The Oceanography Society)
Discovery narrative, technical description.
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, University of Hawaii
Loss circumstances, condition, crew.
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Historical context of the midget submarine attack.