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Why were there no US submarines at our ambush at Midway? Our subs could've finished off the Japanese carriers limping back to Japan. Were our subs actually at the battle of midway, but covered up due to the embarrassment of faulty torpedoes? US submarines could have rescued all of those torpedo bomber crews that were shot down. Lastly, why didn't our carrier that sank, beach itself on Midway Island before sinking?
One of my favorites stories. They didn't sink the most ships but sunk the most tonnage. Basically the equivalent of going to a carnival and winning that giant stuffed Teddy Bear first try.
From the video of the war story, it might have been second try … or even last of many tries. A great story, brought out to a longer video with many quotations from the ship’s crew members who survived after the War. Question. Were these actual quotes or random conversations made up?
My nephew served on a Sub based at Guam. God bless these mariners, the underwater sailors of the seas. Great admiration for Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz that helped develop the Submarine for the U.S. Navy before and during WW1.
Sunk on her maiden voyage by USS Archer Fish...Joe Enright was a true submariner captain. Him and his crew worked together as a cohesive unit and came out as victors.
The episode shows the benefit of giving officers second chances. This was something Nimitz was known for (Mitscher was another example after his misbehavior at Midway.)
Your channel has become one of my favorites on the platform, irrespective of genre. The work you put in editing all of the clips is together in a seemless smooth way is incredibly impressive. It’s big channel quality we’re blessed to have found before you blow up! I’m just glad to be able to say I’ve been here from the beginning and will continue to do my small part in your success by liking, commenting, and sharing great videos like this one. Keep up the great work mate, you’ll hit 100K subs before you know it. God speed !
I just searched of the sinking of the IJN Shinano, and your video is the one that I chose to watch...why? Because I really enjoy your content and how well you research your content before you post your videos. Thank you sir! Most people don't realize that Shinano was the third and final ship that was originally built to ve the final Yamato Class battleship, but due to the Japanese losses at the Battle of Midway (or AF), the Japanese converted the hull of the great ship to be the biggest carrier is Japanese history. That was never Shinano's title as she was hastily converted from a battleship into somewhat of a Jeep carrier. The title of the largest Japanese carrier went to the IJN Taiho which was also sunk by the US.
Well, granted, the Taiho was the largest carrier to be conceived originally as a carrier (by that time). It's also true that Shinano was never intended to be a front-line combat carrier but instead a support carrier, transporting airplanes to replenish other carriers' or land-based air stations' wing groups. But some in the Japanese hierarchy hoped it would maybe become the IJN's ultimate weapon against the USN. Regardless of all these factoids, it was still *the* largest carrier to have been built until the USS Forrestal was completed in the 1950s.
US Naval submarine force was the most effective and efficient of any nation, including the German U-boats, ultimately starving Japan of its overseas resources. The aggressive US sub commanders also sunk Japanese warships including their aircraft carriers. I believe they are the most underrated of all Allied forces in WWII.
@@BRILLSTEELMOTORSPORT I’m saying US subs dominated the Pacific shipping lanes to the very shores of Japan by the end of the war. They took out aircraft carriers too. The U-boats took such drastic losses they never their pens by war’s end.
@@BRILLSTEELMOTORSPORT UBoats were a terror until May 1943 when they became the hunted. 43 Uboats were sunk in just that month, then it was over for them. The American submarine fleet achieved in the Pacific what the Germans never could in the Atlantic. They collapsed the Japanese economy by sinking their merchant ships. And sunk many capital ships including battleships and aircraft carriers.
Archerfish was also one of the three Balao-class boats used for the production of the movie “Operation Petticoat” with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in 1960. It’s a pretty funny movie and has a surprising level of detail in the operation of a WWII fleet sub for a comedy.
Admiral Charles Lockwood was not a CO of a naval station at Midway Island ( 5:07 ). At that period of time Admiral Lockwood was commander of all U.S. Navy submarine forces in the Pacific Theater of Operations (COMSUBPAC) located at Headquarters, Pacific Fleet Submarines, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A small naval station like Midway Island was be run by a mire commander or some junior captain (not having been captain very long) at the most.
So the Archerfish succeeded in sinking a record carrier. It is a shame that the submarine was rewarded by using her for a target. Seems to me that she could have been set up on shore somewhere as an exhibit. These boats did a grand job of winning the war and needs not to be forgotten. These exhibits serve the purpose of reminding the future generations of our history. D.Booker USN Submarine service retired.
I’m m gonna catch hell for this and I mean no disrespect to submariners or navy or marines( here it comes) but this is the way Star Trec decided to end Lieutenant Yar’s service, she was dissolved into a tarpit! How nasty could the network be, there have been many exits of characters over the decades, but Yar’s was one of the most disrespectful I can recall!
I have to agree. Archerfish of all WW2 subs should have been preserved as an exhibit ship. But the military had a notorious history of being cavalier with their scrapping of surplus war materiel, to include ships. E.G.: The USS Nevada, which survived the Pearl Harbor attack, served throughout the war and survived that, what was her reward? To serve as ground-zero for the Crossroads-Able nuclear test. Even though that bomb missed by about 800 yards, it's still the principle of the thing: Vaporizing one of the most famous and resilient battleships in the Navy. The USS Pennsylvania, sister to the ill-fated Arizona, was relegated to the same fate at the same operation.
Excellent, balanced coverage of this amazing submarine exploit. Amongst other feats, hugely contributing to defeating an enemy that could not get tolerated. But then again, what a waste. It is more than high time that humankind uses the dedication of all combatants in these wars to achieve our potential. Then again, as a 20th Century human, I greatly enjoy watching these episodes of achievement, notwithstanding the deaths and losses of loved ones.
robbierobinson, Does the name USS Sarsfield EDD837, ring a bell? Key West, Fl.?. Bob Dunn, of Michigan? If so, give a yell. I was M Div. Bob was my best buddy.
Unfortunately for the Japanese there really weren’t any trained aircrews left . A new large carrier will just be a torpedo magnet. Shinano was meant to be a support carrier, replenishing the existing fleet carriers
Watching the reenactment of this victory on the old TV show the Silent Service really helped put this story into perspective. If y'all have the time, look up Richard Damm. He has most of the episodes of that old 1950s TV show on his channel.
The part of Cmdr. Enright was played by DeForest Kelly, who went on to play Dr. McCoy in the Star Trek franchise. (There's even a scene where he calls his chief engineer and tells him to "throw out the rulebook and give me all the power you can!") 🤣
This is an outstanding video in every respect. Great audio, great visuals, and a compelling story. Your voice is well-modulated and pleasing. This should be the model for other content creators! 👍🏼
Good video, but one thing you got wrong was the Shinano was never going to be a threat to the U.S and would have done nothing to come close to trying to turn the tide of war - it wasn't even a factor - nothing more than a white elephant. When it started construction, the Japanese Carrier air arm was still large, albeit with inexperienced pilots. The Battle of the Philippine Sea decimated their carrier air arm for good and the Battle of Leyte Gulf took out most of what was left of their active carrier fleet. The Shinano was not going to be a front like carrier, but rather a support vessel carrying extra aircraft, fuel and such. So by the time it was launched, there was nothing for it to support. Even if it had been launched much earlier and used as front line carrier with a full aircrew, the pilots would have been blown out of the sky just like all their other pilots.
Good video and great info, thanks. As an ex ground-pounder army paratrooper 🪖, I cant even imagine serving in a steel tube under the sea to fight a war. No thanks lol. Respect to the navy guys who served. ⚓🚢
Armyvet82abn, my father was with the "All American" for about 7 years, 50--57. Broke his back. Wound up in Service Co. 505. New post commander discovered dad had lost his jump status, and Dad was transferred to 51Signal Bn. south Korea. He died of heart attack, age 42. Thank you for your service.
@@jacoblecoy3700 Thanks for his service sir. My late father retired Army was a Korean war and Viet Nam vet. 3 tours with Special Forces in Nam, and I had an uncle and a first cousin who were in the 82nd also. So I had to go Airborne too, lol. And I also got hurt in a jump landing fractured 2 verterbrae in my neck. Thank you it was my honor to serve.
As a Radarman 3rd class on a Coast Guard Cutter in Vietnam I really enjoyed this video and can't help feeling bad about the way The Navy destroyed The Archer Fish and as a sailor there is nothing more horrible than to witness a sinking ship with mostly all hands aboard~!! And as Peter, Paul and Mary sang once-"When will they ever learn"?? (Ukraine)
The decision to not build Shinano as a battleship actually came months before Midway, mere weeks after Pearl Harbour, as the Japanese began to shift away from battleship construction. By this point Yamato was fully operational and Musashi had been launched, so it was already too late to back out entirely (then again, literally nobody during WWII got the memo of battleships being outdated in time to not waste resources on them). Shinano, however, had been laid down far more recently (three years later) than her sister ships, so the decision was made to only complete her to the point she could be launched, so they could use her drydock for other things, and then figure out what to do with her after the war.
The IJN Shinano was *NOT*, as you put it, “the pride of the Japanese Navy.” For one thing, it was never planned as a “fleet carrier” that would engage in battle with the enemy. The Shinano was going to be a ferry carrier that moved planes from place to place in a kind of “back-up” capacity. Secondly, when the USS Archerfish sank the Shinano, it wasn’t even finished being built! Several of its water-tight doors hadn’t yet been installed, as well as several other crucial components. If you want to talk about an aircraft carrier that the Japanese thought of as “the pride of their Navy,” it would probably be the great carrier that served as the original flagship of the kido butai: the IJN Akagi, Admiral Nagumo’s flagship at the Battle of Midway. Its sinking by American dive bombers had a powerfully negative psychological effect on Japanese naval personnel.
At that point in time, what ship do you think was the 'pride' (being a ship of great note and importance that provided crucial / unique capabilities) of the Imperial Japanese Navy?
I agree, it was the flagship of Admiral Nagumo that was the pride of the Imperial Japanese Naval Fleet. Once it was sunk, the Japanese Pride was destroyed.
Naval Intelligence's question as to whether Enright would "settle for a cruiser" wasn't out of the blue; as the video notes, they had intercepted transmissions reading "Shinano sunk". As in the US Navy, there were "naming conventions" in use in the Japanese Navy: -- battleships: Japanese provinces (ie, Yamato, Nagato, Fuso, etc.) -- heavy cruisers: mountains (Kirishima, Kongo) -- light cruisers: rivers (Tone, Chikuma, Chokai) -- aircraft carriers: real or mythical flying creatures (Shokaku ("flying crane"), Hiryu ("flying dragon"), Taiho ("great phoenix") Shinano, having started life as a battleship, was named for the Shinano province; however, there is also a Shinano River. Since Enright wasn't claiming a battleship (ruling out a ship named for the province), Intel concluded the Shinano referenced in the intercepts must therefore refer to a light cruiser named for the Shinano River. It took them a while to figure out that this was the missing third ship of the Yamato-class, and that (also keeping with Japanese tradition) she had retained the name under which she had originally begun construction.
Absolutely brilliant info here, thank you for sharing this! I did not place that connection myself but that does make perfect sense as you say. Appreciate you watching and have a great rest of your week :)
As a submariner the skill of this sailors was amazing in very harsh times. You wanted a shower, wait until it rains and surface. Might be cold, but at least you got clean for at least 5 more days.
You're living in cramp spaces which is bad. But, when the women come in, they are special, get the best living spaces, etc. But, we are equal right. Just can't wait for the next draft. Let's see those strong independent women serve and march 10 miles a day up and over hills, via rivers, when it rains, etc.
@@billywilds1779 I served 2.5 years in my country's military national service. Yes, all women will be better off serving the military in other non-combat roles.
I was stationed on three warships, USN. Then in combat in Vietnam. Personally, I do not think women should be exposed to either. Well, yes, I am from the old school in some people's beliefs. However, having seen a few women who wore the enemy's uniform, blown apart and innocent women who had been mutilated by the Viet Cong, I would not want to see any American, or other nations' women suffer the same fate.
I am really sure that no one on the archerfish was thinking about "museum ships". Had she as been completed, the Shinano would have been a formidable opponent, hard to sink. She was rebuilt on the hull of one of 3 huge, heavily armored battleships, with a concrete armored flight deck. She was to have had much improved damage control and firefighting capabilities. You don't wait to make that a museum ship. You sink it as quickly and efficiently as you can.
Museum ships are very expensive. They require a private group to come up with the money. There are quite a few like the Archer Fish that I wish could have been saved.
The feeling after the end of the Second World War was let's put this whole mess behind us. The American public was war weary and starting to heal after the war. Congress slashed funding for all services and I doubt there was a thought about preserving history. It's a shame there is quite a story here.
Her 'watertight doors' were never watertight - due to Japan's chronic shortage of rubber - a problem that also crippled later designs of German U-boats, too, in the construction phase, especially the Type XX1s..
It has to be heartbreaking to know that the submarine you served on to sink a giant carrier which resulted in honors was used for target practice and sunk.
One of the strategies that some subs were doing was to run on the Surface full speed parallel to the targets but in addition to the lookouts both periscopes were put up ALL way to keep an eye on the target yet being completely invisible to the Carrier as the periscopes are so small , fresh eyes were cycled on these scopes to make sure that the targets would not spot the submarine body , as they were able to get far enough in front of the target they then submerge and then go in for the attack. I forget the name of the sub and captain that was successfuly doing this .
USS Barb - Commanded by Eugene B. Fluckey definitely did it this way, it's documented in his biography/book on his war patrols - Thunder Below! which is excellent, also the only WW2 submarine to "sink" a train and the only active landing on the japanese home islands during WWII - the man and his men where bold as all hell.
Significant sinking of a warship before her sea trials. If that carrier could of entered the war fully capable and fully manned, she would of caused problems. Manning the Shinino with rookie pilots is a challenge of the desperate…
Dedicated to the crew of the USS Archerfish - who sunk a flawed ship that was rushed into service and who's escort were not equipped to counter a submarine threat. Never mind the near 1500 who went down with her.
the U.S. had no knowledge of the shinano, as i recall, the archerfish was credited with the sinking of a unryu class aircraft carrier at the time of the sinking, only after the war ended was it found out what it was, and as stated below, what was the point anyways, japan still had carriers, just no planes and pilots to man them,
That's incorrect. A recon plane flew over the shipyard about a month before launch. The Archer Fish was on station to rescue downed bomber pilots. After the Shinano was launched there was a several day gap between bomber missions and the sub was released from search and rescue to go hunting. Look what he found. Peace.
@@HiddenHistoryYT You as well! My dad was a WW2 Marine. He was honorably discharged at the age of 19. He was 14 when he enlisted. He was on Guam when the Japanese bombed it, which prevented him from getting a minority discharge. God bless you.
I was a member of the SubVets of WWII central Connecticut chapter as an associate. I was good friend with Ed Zilinsky (now passed) who manned the tdc in the forward torpedoe room. nright had called check fire Ed didnt hear him and manually fired a torpedoe and scored a hit. Ed told me this story at one of the meetings. Also had the honory of Meetin Enright and having him sign my book "SHinano" which he wrote.
the old black and white movie Operation Petticoat [1959] with Tony Curtis and Cary Grant is based on the USS Archerfish which led me to reading a book called Gallant Lady i believe was written by 2 of its crew.
What leads you to believe that the movie Operation Petticoat was based on the USS Archerfish?? I don’t see any similarities. By the way, the movie was in color, not black and white.
Forty-seven airplanes would not have been that difficult for an American carrier to deal with. Remember at this point tin the war there were not a lot of experienced pilots left for the Japanese.
It was arrogant or maybe desperate of the Japanese to think they could move such a large vessel unnoticed through home waters teeming with enemy submarines.
She was not, nor intended to be a fleet carrier, she was too far along in her original construction for that purpose. Her role was a support carrier. This warship was only finished when her nation was in desperate straights. It is likely the IJN cared little to nothing about the safety of her crew by this time in the war.
This is a great story of a fantastic US submarine. They could have easily turned it into a WW2 museum as they did with other subs. Why did they use the Archerfish as target practice.
The japonese merchant ships didin't have 1/5 of the escorts has the allied convoys on the atlantic. Some japonese convoys didin't have any escort at all, specialy after 1943. Sitting ducks.
Shinano was never the pride of the Japanese Navy and was never going to be. She was a complete kludge. What’s the old saying “an Elephant is a horse designed by committee”. Even the Japanese Navy realized she was useless. Which is why they planned to use her as a Utility Carrier. She was to be a big warehouse and repair shop to store planes for the other carriers. Here’s the problem. In order to operate properly as a carrier a carrier has to be able to cycle planes. The faster the better. To cycle planes requires at a minimum 4 basic things. A continuous flight deck, a single continuous hanger, a front elevator and a rear elevator. With no obstructions between the front and rear elevators. Planes are brought up via the rear elevator. Spotted and launched. As they land they pull forward and are brought below by the front elevator. They then work their way rewards in the hanger as they are repaired and prepped for the next mission, to be brought up the rear elevator. It’s a continuous loop. The problem was due to the massive Barbettes that the ship was built around, the ship had four separate hangers on 2 or 3 levels. Each served by only one elevator. There was no way for Shinano to cycle properly. Her plane handling was always going to be unbearably slow. Thus she was intended to be the worlds largest plane ferry.
Wow, you sound lie you realy know your subject. I wasnt that impressed either, but mainly because Carriers arent designed to hunt subs. MOres the pity. I dont see how that sub got close enuff toe mount an attack. Nevertheless the title says Biggest ship sunk by Sub or somesuch. I have always thought the UBoots make for more interesting reading. Like The sinking of the Royal Oak, by Prien. But thats another subject.
Thank You for all this information. I never knew any of it! There were no well trained aviators left in Japan at that time. Any air groups she would have brought would likely had been shot from the skies, in short order, by veteran American and British fighter pilots. The Shinano herself would have been bombed into the depths as well. A huge expense for little to no payoff.
@@ziblot1235 USS Archerfish had managed by fortune to find itself directly in Shinano's path. By late November 1944 US subs had astonishingly free reign along the main Japanese sea lanes. While Shinano was being escorted by 2 or 3 destroyers, the group had just executed a turn which put the destroyers behind Shinano while she was heading straight into Archerfish's sights. They were also making best speed as they were trying to get Shinano well away from an expected US Bomber attack. If you like the stories of U-Boats in the Atlantic I strongly recommend you poke a bit into some of the US sub forces unbelievable actions in the Pacific. Some of the stories are breathtaking. Topping the list is USS Barb. Which possibly has the best war record of any sub. On her final 12 th patrol, her Captain was granted an unprecedented extra patrol in command. By this point his record was such that the brass just gave him whatever he wanted no matter how insane. She was commanded by Commander Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey. For his final tour he took on a full load of torpedoes, all the 5" ammo he could carry. And he convinced him to let him bolt 100 5" Artillery Rocket Launcher tubes onto her deck and brought along a couple of reloads. She then set off for the Japanese Coast. She fired every Torpedo at a Japanese ship. Used every round of 5" Ammo sinking smaller freighters and junks. Unloaded several Battleship grade Artillery Barrages against Hokkaido, and as her final act. Having exhausted every other scap of explosive munitions remaining aboard the ship, spotted an area of beach on the Japanese Main Island that had a heavy railroad line running right along it. At night they sent a crew ashore in an inflatable boat carrying the subs Scuttling Charges. They wired this up to a pressure detonator and buried it along a section of railroad trestle and ran. By the time they made it back to the sub the detonations of an ammunition train were lighting up the sky. They were the only us forces to land on Japan prior to the surrender. So yes, they sank a train. Another good one is the USS Tang. Which was the most succesful US sub until she was sunk by one of her own defective torpedos. Or if you want a really harrowing story that I cannot believe was never made into a movie, look up the USS Crevalle, and her mission to pick up the Japanese Z Plan Documents that had been recovered by Philippine Guerillas following the crash of Fleet Admiral Koga's plane in a storm.A submarine, stuffed full of rescued American Missionary Children and Pregnant women who had been living in the Philippine jungle, plus the Top Secret Japanese War Plans taken from the body of Admiral Koga himself. (Yamamoto's replacement), running a gauntlet of Japanese destroyers and depth charges while dashing for Australia. Managing to put the plans into Nimitz and SPruances hands just days before the Invasion of Saipan/Battle of the Philippine Sea. It's a good story.
Very good explanation of this. Iirc Shinano only had an actual air group of what, 30 aircraft? To play devils advocate though, she still probably would have been a lot more useful in that role than if she was completed as a battleship. A relatively fast and (if built properly) hard-to-sink ship running around restocking islands and the odd carrier with aircraft was *theoretically* a pretty good idea. The problem is none of that works without fuel.
@sirboomsalot4902 She never even had that big of an airgroup. She was launched prematurely in order to move her to Kure. They believed she had been spotted in the drydock by American recon planes. So they quickly floated her out and sent her on her way. But she wasn't finished. She was still in the "fitting out" stage. Missing a lot of things such as watertight doors. It is doubtful that her arrestor wire system was operational. That's normally pretty late in fitting out. The 30 aircraft she was carrying were 30 rocket powered Baka Bombs. Kamikaze Cruise Missiles. She was carrying them for delivery to Kure. I don't think she had any operational aircraft. They could not finish her as a battleship. They simply did not have the steel
Sunk on Nov 29th, 1944? I'm watching this exactly 80 years after these events unfolded Nov 29th, 2024! The sheer coincidence and overall irony are striking, to say the least! BTW, served in the Navy (2006-2014) on a carrier. It's hard to imagine something that large being sunk. 75,000 ton displacement is just 25,000 tons less than a modern-day Nimitz class CVN.
Torpedoes used by the U.S. during WW-2 blew 30-foot holes in the hulls of ships struck by them. Bad news for a vessel rushed to sea that was not seaworthy. The carrier's captain choosing not to stop the ship's engines only finished Shinano off.
Seems like Japan was showing a bit of apathy like the Americans when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, although they were supposed to inform us 30 minutes before attack. So is this a little bit of retribution??
Well done sir. Some comments: "Shook the world"? Lockwood became COMSUBPAC in February 1943; wasn't the commander of Midway subs. That guy reported to Lockwood. The Japanese naval base is pronounced "YO-KOOS-KA". BTW, where/when was the photo of Shinano taken?
Appreciate the feedback, is always welcome! Will note for future videos. The photo shown is from her sea trials. While googling about it (I thought it was an illegal photo taken by a civilian for some reason) I actually just came across a photo taken by a B-29 from above where you can see the Shinano at the top of the frame. A little annoyed as I somehow never came across it while making the video haha. Oh well, thanks for watching and have a great rest of your week :)
@@HiddenHistoryYT I believe both those photos are in Captain Enright's book Shinano!: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership. In the book it is explained that the top view was taken by B29's and one of the reasons high command wanted to move it. The side view was taken by a civilian like you said that was on a tug boat in I believe Tokyo bay during the ships trials
@@garys2327 Ah so it was by a civilian in the bay! Weirdly didn’t come back across that while looking back into it. Is the book worth getting? I have a few other American sub/commander books but not that one. Side note: pains me so much how scarce and of poor quality Japanese WW2 photos are
@@HiddenHistoryYT Been a long time since I read it but being that Capt Enright helped write it goes into more detail. Couple that come to mind is why he decided to set torpedo depth at 10 feet and him looking for the drawings he made to prove to HQ of what he saw.
Certainly not the largest tonnage ratio in history: Small UB Types of WWI for example had a sinking tonnage ratio of 1/400 or 1/700 tonnes for example. But largest warship sunk by a sub, certainly. One of these 270t subs sunk the French 11,000 tons battleship Gaulois for example. The Gato class was 1600 tonnes, Shinano 62,000, thats pretty close.
They didn't sink the largest warship in history, that would be the USS Gerald ford if I'm not mistaken. They sank what would be the largest ship ever sunk by a submarine.
A vessel not yet finished and sailing solo, without the protection of other vessels, doesn't appear to be worth being stressed here. By the some token, the sinking of the Cruiser USS Indianapolis should be emphasized as major war accomplishment by the japonese . And the Indianapolis was fully operational, capable of reaching fantastic cruising seeps -- something that the "LARGEST Warship sunk in HISTORY by a Submarine" was unable to accomplish. Let´s imagine that the Indianapolis had been sunk a few days earlier. In route to delivering the first atomic bomb to the air base... Obviously, the tragic saga of the cruiser's crew was a terrible ordeal. However, I never read anything reagarding similar, comparable situations endured by surviving members of the Imperial Navy -- or other navies acting in WWII -- thrown into the water after their vessels' demise. Movies, books, were made about the Indianapolis and its crew -- lacking a scientific perspective of history. From a historical view point, this video also lacks historical rigor The war was over in 1945 -- widening the discussion and including a vast array of diversified facts and perspectives is in order. Note: Regarding the Atomic bomb: Facing the circumstances, I regret do assume that it had to be used. Brought the war to an end, saving American and even japonese lives -- in terms of casualties, the attacks on Dresden, Berlin and all major German cities killed a great more deal of civilians. Germany was already defeated, the air-attacks didn't destroy the population moral. Attacks pursued by 1.000 and even 1.500 bombers? An over-killing...
Just a shame that field practice doesn't count (since no ship necessarily gets actually sunk during those), since there's this Nimitz class aircraft carrier that once got sunk by a Dutch Walrus class submarine.
I am just wondering, if the Shinano had the armored belts that were the same as the Yamoto would the torpedo attack carried out by the USS Archerfish would have had the same outcome? Personally I doubt that it would. But the World is not made up of what ifs.
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What a great battle review !
Why were there no US submarines at our ambush at Midway? Our subs could've finished off the Japanese carriers limping back to Japan.
Were our subs actually at the battle of midway, but covered up due to the embarrassment of faulty torpedoes?
US submarines could have rescued all of those torpedo bomber crews that were shot down.
Lastly, why didn't our carrier that sank, beach itself on Midway Island before sinking?
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As a former sailor, I have the greatest admiration for my brothers who served on subs. That took real guts in wartime service.
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service!! 👏 🙏
Welcome home.
Not only WW2 but all wars and peace time.
Especially those guys in diesel subs. Brass balls on those boys.
One of my favorites stories. They didn't sink the most ships but sunk the most tonnage. Basically the equivalent of going to a carnival and winning that giant stuffed Teddy Bear first try.
The US subs had been handicapped by defective torpedoes, had they had an effective weapon from Day 1, they would have sunk them all...
From the video of the war story, it might have been second try … or even last of many tries. A great story, brought out to a longer video with many quotations from the ship’s crew members who survived after the War.
Question. Were these actual quotes or random conversations made up?
Great comparison!
Same
luck is everything
My nephew served on a Sub based at Guam. God bless these mariners, the underwater sailors of the seas. Great admiration for Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz that helped develop the Submarine for the U.S. Navy before and during WW1.
Thank you to him for his service! Takes a brave man
This telling made me really appreciate all the strategy and reasoning required of these captains at sea
It's astounding how rarely military history channels cover the Shinano. Thanks for shining light on this story.
You've earned my subscription!
Greatly appreciate it! Thanks for watching and have a fantastic week :)
Sunk on her maiden voyage by USS Archer Fish...Joe Enright was a true submariner captain. Him and his crew worked together as a cohesive unit and came out as victors.
Proper VRM (Vessel Resource Management) - boat and crew, indeed.
"He and his crew..."
Navy was fortunate to have him
The episode shows the benefit of giving officers second chances. This was something Nimitz was known for (Mitscher was another example after his misbehavior at Midway.)
This is the book I read and gave to my friend who served on the Nuclear Archerfish. It had a distinguished career after the war as well.
Very very cool!
Excellent content. This channel is an example of why I no longer have cable. Thanks and keep it coming!
Greatly appreciate it! Thanks for watching and have a fantastic week :)
Your channel has become one of my favorites on the platform, irrespective of genre. The work you put in editing all of the clips is together in a seemless smooth way is incredibly impressive. It’s big channel quality we’re blessed to have found before you blow up! I’m just glad to be able to say I’ve been here from the beginning and will continue to do my small part in your success by liking, commenting, and sharing great videos like this one. Keep up the great work mate, you’ll hit 100K subs before you know it. God speed !
Greatly appreciate the kind words Brian! Thanks for watching and have a great rest of your weekend :)
@Brian-nw2bn: Great comment ! Absolutely agree !
Love and peace.
I just searched of the sinking of the IJN Shinano, and your video is the one that I chose to watch...why? Because I really enjoy your content and how well you research your content before you post your videos. Thank you sir! Most people don't realize that Shinano was the third and final ship that was originally built to ve the final Yamato Class battleship, but due to the Japanese losses at the Battle of Midway (or AF), the Japanese converted the hull of the great ship to be the biggest carrier is Japanese history. That was never Shinano's title as she was hastily converted from a battleship into somewhat of a Jeep carrier. The title of the largest Japanese carrier went to the IJN Taiho which was also sunk by the US.
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Well, granted, the Taiho was the largest carrier to be conceived originally as a carrier (by that time). It's also true that Shinano was never intended to be a front-line combat carrier but instead a support carrier, transporting airplanes to replenish other carriers' or land-based air stations' wing groups. But some in the Japanese hierarchy hoped it would maybe become the IJN's ultimate weapon against the USN. Regardless of all these factoids, it was still *the* largest carrier to have been built until the USS Forrestal was completed in the 1950s.
Spent 4 months in Yokosuka Japan in 1986 while deployed on USS Cape Cod AD 43. Visited Atami City, Tokyo, and Beppu.
Thank you for your service!
Biggest ship done in by one of the Smallest ships. Well done.
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Biggest ship done in by a boat…😉
@@db5757 O Kay....
US Naval submarine force was the most effective and efficient of any nation, including the German U-boats, ultimately starving Japan of its overseas resources. The aggressive US sub commanders also sunk Japanese warships including their aircraft carriers.
I believe they are the most underrated of all Allied forces in WWII.
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Five percent of the US Navy sunk fifty five percent of Japanese shipping.
U Boot where a real terror, not US subs !!!!
What are you saying ??!!
@@BRILLSTEELMOTORSPORT I’m saying US subs dominated the Pacific shipping lanes to the very shores of Japan by the end of the war. They took out aircraft carriers too.
The U-boats took such drastic losses they never their pens by war’s end.
@@BRILLSTEELMOTORSPORT UBoats were a terror until May 1943 when they became the hunted. 43 Uboats were sunk in just that month, then it was over for them. The American submarine fleet achieved in the Pacific what the Germans never could in the Atlantic. They collapsed the Japanese economy by sinking their merchant ships. And sunk many capital ships including battleships and aircraft carriers.
Archerfish was also one of the three Balao-class boats used for the production of the movie “Operation Petticoat” with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in 1960. It’s a pretty funny movie and has a surprising level of detail in the operation of a WWII fleet sub for a comedy.
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Love that movie. No, no, I paid no attention to those beautiful women!! 🦈🇺🇸🥴
There was a submarine in that movie???? I only remember Joan o'Brien...dunno why!
Admiral Charles Lockwood was not a CO of a naval station at Midway Island ( 5:07 ). At that period of time Admiral Lockwood was commander of all U.S. Navy submarine forces in the Pacific Theater of Operations (COMSUBPAC) located at Headquarters, Pacific Fleet Submarines, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A small naval station like Midway Island was be run by a mire commander or some junior captain (not having been captain very long) at the most.
Great video! I'd never even heard of the Shinano before.
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Excellent presentation, factormg in all elements, including the (increasing) pressure(s) and tension on both sides. Thank you., full marks.
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So the Archerfish succeeded in sinking a record carrier. It is a shame that the submarine was rewarded by using her for a target. Seems to me that she could have been set up on shore somewhere as an exhibit. These boats did a grand job of winning the war and needs not to be forgotten. These exhibits serve the purpose of reminding the future generations of our history. D.Booker USN Submarine service retired.
I agree! Thank you for your service as well! Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
I’m m gonna catch hell for this and I mean no disrespect to submariners or navy or marines( here it comes) but this is the way Star Trec decided to end Lieutenant Yar’s service, she was dissolved into a tarpit! How nasty could the network be, there have been many exits of characters over the decades, but Yar’s was one of the most disrespectful I can recall!
😊
I have to agree. Archerfish of all WW2 subs should have been preserved as an exhibit ship. But the military had a notorious history of being cavalier with their scrapping of surplus war materiel, to include ships. E.G.: The USS Nevada, which survived the Pearl Harbor attack, served throughout the war and survived that, what was her reward? To serve as ground-zero for the Crossroads-Able nuclear test. Even though that bomb missed by about 800 yards, it's still the principle of the thing: Vaporizing one of the most famous and resilient battleships in the Navy. The USS Pennsylvania, sister to the ill-fated Arizona, was relegated to the same fate at the same operation.
Excellent, balanced coverage of this amazing submarine exploit. Amongst other feats, hugely contributing to defeating an enemy that could not get tolerated. But then again, what a waste. It is more than high time that humankind uses the dedication of all combatants in these wars to achieve our potential. Then again, as a 20th Century human, I greatly enjoy watching these episodes of achievement, notwithstanding the deaths and losses of loved ones.
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robbierobinson, Does the name USS Sarsfield EDD837, ring a bell? Key West, Fl.?. Bob Dunn, of Michigan? If so, give a yell. I was M Div. Bob was my best buddy.
Unfortunately for the Japanese there really weren’t any trained aircrews left . A new large carrier will just be a torpedo magnet. Shinano was meant to be a support carrier, replenishing the existing fleet carriers
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There were no damage control stations, nor proper plumbing for firefighting. They did it to themselves.
The Shinano was carrying several hundred ground launched versions of the Ohka Kamikaze missiles…
The entire Japanese fleet was shot of pilots…
Watching the reenactment of this victory on the old TV show the Silent Service really helped put this story into perspective. If y'all have the time, look up Richard Damm. He has most of the episodes of that old 1950s TV show on his channel.
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@@HiddenHistoryYT You too bud. Thank you for all your hard work!
The part of Cmdr. Enright was played by DeForest Kelly, who went on to play Dr. McCoy in the Star Trek franchise. (There's even a scene where he calls his chief engineer and tells him to "throw out the rulebook and give me all the power you can!") 🤣
This is an outstanding video in every respect. Great audio, great visuals, and a compelling story. Your voice is well-modulated and pleasing. This should be the model for other content creators! 👍🏼
I Love Watching These WWII Documentaries! ⚓ I Never Knew The Shinano Was Converted From A Yamato Class Battleship!
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What an ignominious end for the submarine.
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Outstanding account of actions and tactics used by subs during WW II. Thank you from an old Airedale.
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Awesome video!!!
I ......."presumably assume"!!!
Thank you for all your hard work.
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Good vid. Nicely done.
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This is a most interesting video. Well done!
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Great storytelling, subscribed, looking forward to more videos.
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Good video, but one thing you got wrong was the Shinano was never going to be a threat to the U.S and would have done nothing to come close to trying to turn the tide of war - it wasn't even a factor - nothing more than a white elephant. When it started construction, the Japanese Carrier air arm was still large, albeit with inexperienced pilots. The Battle of the Philippine Sea decimated their carrier air arm for good and the Battle of Leyte Gulf took out most of what was left of their active carrier fleet. The Shinano was not going to be a front like carrier, but rather a support vessel carrying extra aircraft, fuel and such. So by the time it was launched, there was nothing for it to support. Even if it had been launched much earlier and used as front line carrier with a full aircrew, the pilots would have been blown out of the sky just like all their other pilots.
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Archerfish had six forward torpedo tubes. There was no "fire four, reload, fire two more."
As. A lover of the pacific war your videos are very interesting. Thank you . I am a subscriber.
Greatly appreciate it David :)
Good video and great info, thanks. As an ex ground-pounder army paratrooper 🪖, I cant even imagine serving in a steel tube under the sea to fight a war. No thanks lol. Respect to the navy guys who served. ⚓🚢
Armyvet82abn, my father was with the "All American" for about 7 years, 50--57. Broke his back. Wound up in Service Co. 505. New post commander discovered dad had lost his jump status, and Dad was transferred to 51Signal Bn. south Korea. He died of heart attack, age 42. Thank you for your service.
@@jacoblecoy3700 Thanks for his service sir. My late father retired Army was a Korean war and Viet Nam vet. 3 tours with Special Forces in Nam, and I had an uncle and a first cousin who were in the 82nd also. So I had to go Airborne too, lol. And I also got hurt in a jump landing fractured 2 verterbrae in my neck. Thank you it was my honor to serve.
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I love the story I read the book many years ago just sticks out my mind is one of the best submarine takedowns ever
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@@HiddenHistoryYT U2 thank you I absolutely love Naval History
This is a great storyline ❤
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As a Radarman 3rd class on a Coast Guard Cutter in Vietnam I really enjoyed this video and can't help feeling bad about the way The Navy destroyed The Archer Fish and as a sailor there is nothing more horrible than to witness a sinking ship with mostly all hands aboard~!! And as Peter, Paul and Mary sang once-"When will they ever learn"?? (Ukraine)
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Great story!! Thank you.
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Great presentation. I really like what I’m seeing from this channel so far!
Superb Video, have many thanks!!!
Thumbs up and subscribed immediately
Love and peace.
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The decision to not build Shinano as a battleship actually came months before Midway, mere weeks after Pearl Harbour, as the Japanese began to shift away from battleship construction. By this point Yamato was fully operational and Musashi had been launched, so it was already too late to back out entirely (then again, literally nobody during WWII got the memo of battleships being outdated in time to not waste resources on them). Shinano, however, had been laid down far more recently (three years later) than her sister ships, so the decision was made to only complete her to the point she could be launched, so they could use her drydock for other things, and then figure out what to do with her after the war.
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Excellent video. Well done. ++
Greatly appreciate it!
The IJN Shinano was *NOT*, as you put it, “the pride of the Japanese Navy.” For one thing, it was never planned as a “fleet carrier” that would engage in battle with the enemy. The Shinano was going to be a ferry carrier that moved planes from place to place in a kind of “back-up” capacity. Secondly, when the USS Archerfish sank the Shinano, it wasn’t even finished being built! Several of its water-tight doors hadn’t yet been installed, as well as several other crucial components.
If you want to talk about an aircraft carrier that the Japanese thought of as “the pride of their Navy,” it would probably be the great carrier that served as the original flagship of the kido butai: the IJN Akagi, Admiral Nagumo’s flagship at the Battle of Midway. Its sinking by American dive bombers had a powerfully negative psychological effect on Japanese naval personnel.
You are right,and these facts diminish the importance of the sinking. Many subs with much less tonnage sunk had accomplished way more.
At that point in time, what ship do you think was the 'pride' (being a ship of great note and importance that provided crucial / unique capabilities) of the Imperial Japanese Navy?
I agree, it was the flagship of Admiral Nagumo that was the pride of the Imperial Japanese Naval Fleet. Once it was sunk, the Japanese Pride was destroyed.
1442,agaki
Akagi
Wonderful video
Great account of a classic war story.
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Nice job Archerfish, sorry bout the lost crew of the Shinano. Another ship I's love to have walked around.
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Naval Intelligence's question as to whether Enright would "settle for a cruiser" wasn't out of the blue; as the video notes, they had intercepted transmissions reading "Shinano sunk". As in the US Navy, there were "naming conventions" in use in the Japanese Navy:
-- battleships: Japanese provinces (ie, Yamato, Nagato, Fuso, etc.)
-- heavy cruisers: mountains (Kirishima, Kongo)
-- light cruisers: rivers (Tone, Chikuma, Chokai)
-- aircraft carriers: real or mythical flying creatures (Shokaku ("flying crane"), Hiryu ("flying dragon"), Taiho ("great phoenix")
Shinano, having started life as a battleship, was named for the Shinano province; however, there is also a Shinano River. Since Enright wasn't claiming a battleship (ruling out a ship named for the province), Intel concluded the Shinano referenced in the intercepts must therefore refer to a light cruiser named for the Shinano River. It took them a while to figure out that this was the missing third ship of the Yamato-class, and that (also keeping with Japanese tradition) she had retained the name under which she had originally begun construction.
Absolutely brilliant info here, thank you for sharing this! I did not place that connection myself but that does make perfect sense as you say.
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Thank you!!!
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To Shinano's crew, the presence of Yukikaze was also a bad omen...
As a submariner the skill of this sailors was amazing in very harsh times. You wanted a shower, wait until it rains and surface. Might be cold, but at least you got clean for at least 5 more days.
Do you think women should serve with men in warships and naval submarines? Salute.
You're living in cramp spaces which is bad. But, when the women come in, they are special, get the best living spaces, etc. But, we are equal right. Just can't wait for the next draft. Let's see those strong independent women serve and march 10 miles a day up and over hills, via rivers, when it rains, etc.
@@billywilds1779 I served 2.5 years in my country's military national service. Yes, all women will be better off serving the military in other non-combat roles.
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I was stationed on three warships, USN. Then in combat in Vietnam. Personally, I do not think women should be exposed to either. Well, yes, I am from the old school in some people's beliefs. However, having seen a few women who wore the enemy's uniform, blown apart and innocent women who had been mutilated by the Viet Cong, I would not want to see any American, or other nations'
women suffer the same fate.
God bless you all from Australia with love and gratitude ❤️🕊️🦘🙏🇦🇺😊
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Great video thanks
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Love it. Second picture shouldve plowed the next dude
Why would our government sink a beautiful piece of American Naval history!!?? It could have been a museum ship. SMH what a waste!!!
Ya it’s a true shame she wasn’t kept as a museum ship. Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
I am really sure that no one on the archerfish was thinking about "museum ships". Had she as been completed, the Shinano would have been a formidable opponent, hard to sink. She was rebuilt on the hull of one of 3 huge, heavily armored battleships, with a concrete armored flight deck. She was to have had much improved damage control and firefighting capabilities. You don't wait to make that a museum ship. You sink it as quickly and efficiently as you can.
Museum ships are very expensive. They require a private group to come up with the money. There are quite a few like the Archer Fish that I wish could have been saved.
@@BruceSheppard-f5n I think the poster was commenting about the navy sinking the Archer Fish at the end there - not the carrier.
The feeling after the end of the Second World War was let's put this whole mess behind us. The American public was war weary and starting to heal after the war. Congress slashed funding for all services and I doubt there was a thought about preserving history. It's a shame there is quite a story here.
Awesome video!!
I...... presumably
Just a query. What is the story with the P 40 in Japanese markings at 1:30?
This is all I can find so far (very bottom picture): j-aircraft.com/captured/capturedby/p40warhawk/captured_p40.htm
@@HiddenHistoryYT 👍👍
@@HiddenHistoryYT Thanks for that, very illuminating.
@@johnstirling6597of course!
Her 'watertight doors' were never watertight - due to Japan's chronic shortage of rubber - a problem that also crippled later designs of German U-boats, too, in the construction phase, especially the Type XX1s..
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It has to be heartbreaking to know that the submarine you served on to sink a giant carrier which resulted in honors was used for target practice and sunk.
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Shinano? Theres a girl at work named Sha-Nay-Nay.....
😂😂 Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
One of the strategies that some subs were doing was to run on the Surface full speed parallel to the targets but in addition to the lookouts both periscopes were put up ALL way to keep an eye on the target yet being completely invisible to the Carrier as the periscopes are so small , fresh eyes were cycled on these scopes to make sure that the targets would not spot the submarine body , as they were able to get far enough in front of the target they then submerge and then go in for the attack. I forget the name of the sub and captain that was successfuly doing this .
Ahhh I know what you are talking about it and it’s escaping my mind as well. If I find it I’ll respond with it!
USS Barb - Commanded by Eugene B. Fluckey definitely did it this way, it's documented in his biography/book on his war patrols - Thunder Below! which is excellent, also the only WW2 submarine to "sink" a train and the only active landing on the japanese home islands during WWII - the man and his men where bold as all hell.
At 1:34 you see a bunch of crapped out aircraft. Look closely. One is a Curtiss P-40E Warhawk..
That was awesome
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This story is a very important life lesson, especially young men. It's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog!!!!!
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Significant sinking of a warship before her sea trials. If that carrier could of entered the war fully capable and fully manned, she would of caused problems. Manning the Shinino with rookie pilots is a challenge of the desperate…
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@@HiddenHistoryYT
You also, Sport.
What is cool about the Archerfish is she had the least amount of ships sunk but had the most tonnage sunk .
That tell ya it only the big hits
@Rocketlux ?
@@SMR3663 it means the ships sunk by the sub were really big in tonnage
would say that carrier also has the record for having the shortest service life in history.
Probably true! Appreciate you watching and have a great weekend :)
Dedicated to the crew of the USS Archerfish - who sunk a flawed ship that was rushed into service and who's escort were not equipped to counter a submarine threat.
Never mind the near 1500 who went down with her.
the U.S. had no knowledge of the shinano, as i recall, the archerfish was credited with the sinking of a unryu class aircraft carrier at the time of the sinking, only after the war ended was it found out what it was, and as stated below, what was the point anyways, japan still had carriers, just no planes and pilots to man them,
That's incorrect. A recon plane flew over the shipyard about a month before launch. The Archer Fish was on station to rescue downed bomber pilots. After the Shinano was launched there was a several day gap between bomber missions and the sub was released from search and rescue to go hunting. Look what he found. Peace.
Never underestimate your opponent.
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@@HiddenHistoryYT
You as well! My dad was a WW2 Marine. He was honorably discharged at the age of 19.
He was 14 when he enlisted. He was on Guam when the Japanese bombed it, which prevented him from getting a minority discharge. God bless you.
Thanks for not using stock photos from European Theater or a modern aircraft carrier. It's fine to show the same relevant photos over.
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I was a member of the SubVets of WWII central Connecticut chapter as an associate. I was good friend with Ed Zilinsky (now passed) who manned the tdc in the forward torpedoe room. nright had called check fire Ed didnt hear him and manually fired a torpedoe and scored a hit. Ed told me this story at one of the meetings. Also had the honory of Meetin Enright and having him sign my book "SHinano" which he wrote.
Incredibly cool! Thanks for sharing :)
the old black and white movie Operation Petticoat [1959] with Tony Curtis and Cary Grant is based on the USS Archerfish which led me to reading a book called Gallant Lady i believe was written by 2 of its crew.
What leads you to believe that the movie Operation Petticoat was based on the USS Archerfish?? I don’t see any similarities. By the way, the movie was in color, not black and white.
You know it had to be awkward between the kamikaze pilots and the guys who had to practice landings
😂😂 Thank you for the laugh
I love a god underdog story. Well done.
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YA RIGHT !! He had the essence of a Samurai !!
A dead one !!
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Forty-seven airplanes would not have been that difficult for an American carrier to deal with. Remember at this point tin the war there were not a lot of experienced pilots left for the Japanese.
47 zeros? They did not need a lot of experience. Once they had expended their bombs, all they had to do was dive into the ship.
It was arrogant or maybe desperate of the Japanese to think they could move such a large vessel unnoticed through home waters teeming with enemy submarines.
Yep, they also didn’t really have a choice at the point as we had kind of destroyed their navy. Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
The Shinano isn't the largest warship in history. That would be the Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers currently in service.
It was the largest at that time/era, …
Largest ever sunk by a submarine
She was not, nor intended to be a fleet carrier, she was too far along in her original construction for that purpose. Her role was a support carrier. This warship was only finished when her nation was in desperate straights. It is likely the IJN cared little to nothing about the safety of her crew by this time in the war.
This is a great story of a fantastic US submarine. They could have easily turned it into a WW2 museum as they did with other subs. Why did they use the Archerfish as target practice.
A true shame they didn’t! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
The japonese merchant ships didin't have 1/5 of the escorts has the allied convoys on the atlantic.
Some japonese convoys didin't have any escort at all, specialy after 1943.
Sitting ducks.
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Shinano was never the pride of the Japanese Navy and was never going to be. She was a complete kludge. What’s the old saying “an Elephant is a horse designed by committee”. Even the Japanese Navy realized she was useless. Which is why they planned to use her as a Utility Carrier. She was to be a big warehouse and repair shop to store planes for the other carriers. Here’s the problem. In order to operate properly as a carrier a carrier has to be able to cycle planes. The faster the better. To cycle planes requires at a minimum 4 basic things. A continuous flight deck, a single continuous hanger, a front elevator and a rear elevator. With no obstructions between the front and rear elevators. Planes are brought up via the rear elevator. Spotted and launched. As they land they pull forward and are brought below by the front elevator. They then work their way rewards in the hanger as they are repaired and prepped for the next mission, to be brought up the rear elevator. It’s a continuous loop. The problem was due to the massive Barbettes that the ship was built around, the ship had four separate hangers on 2 or 3 levels. Each served by only one elevator. There was no way for Shinano to cycle properly. Her plane handling was always going to be unbearably slow. Thus she was intended to be the worlds largest plane ferry.
Wow, you sound lie you realy know your subject. I wasnt that impressed either, but mainly because Carriers arent designed to hunt subs. MOres the pity. I dont see how that sub got close enuff toe mount an attack. Nevertheless the title says Biggest ship sunk by Sub or somesuch. I have always thought the UBoots make for more interesting reading. Like The sinking of the Royal Oak, by Prien. But thats another subject.
Thank You for all this information. I never knew any of it! There were no well trained aviators left in Japan at that time. Any air groups she would have brought would likely had been shot from the skies, in short order, by veteran American and British fighter pilots. The Shinano herself would have been bombed into the depths as well. A huge expense for little to no payoff.
@@ziblot1235 USS Archerfish had managed by fortune to find itself directly in Shinano's path. By late November 1944 US subs had astonishingly free reign along the main Japanese sea lanes. While Shinano was being escorted by 2 or 3 destroyers, the group had just executed a turn which put the destroyers behind Shinano while she was heading straight into Archerfish's sights. They were also making best speed as they were trying to get Shinano well away from an expected US Bomber attack.
If you like the stories of U-Boats in the Atlantic I strongly recommend you poke a bit into some of the US sub forces unbelievable actions in the Pacific. Some of the stories are breathtaking. Topping the list is USS Barb. Which possibly has the best war record of any sub. On her final 12 th patrol, her Captain was granted an unprecedented extra patrol in command. By this point his record was such that the brass just gave him whatever he wanted no matter how insane. She was commanded by Commander Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey. For his final tour he took on a full load of torpedoes, all the 5" ammo he could carry. And he convinced him to let him bolt 100 5" Artillery Rocket Launcher tubes onto her deck and brought along a couple of reloads. She then set off for the Japanese Coast. She fired every Torpedo at a Japanese ship. Used every round of 5" Ammo sinking smaller freighters and junks. Unloaded several Battleship grade Artillery Barrages against Hokkaido, and as her final act. Having exhausted every other scap of explosive munitions remaining aboard the ship, spotted an area of beach on the Japanese Main Island that had a heavy railroad line running right along it. At night they sent a crew ashore in an inflatable boat carrying the subs Scuttling Charges. They wired this up to a pressure detonator and buried it along a section of railroad trestle and ran. By the time they made it back to the sub the detonations of an ammunition train were lighting up the sky. They were the only us forces to land on Japan prior to the surrender. So yes, they sank a train.
Another good one is the USS Tang. Which was the most succesful US sub until she was sunk by one of her own defective torpedos.
Or if you want a really harrowing story that I cannot believe was never made into a movie, look up the USS Crevalle, and her mission to pick up the Japanese Z Plan Documents that had been recovered by Philippine Guerillas following the crash of Fleet Admiral Koga's plane in a storm.A submarine, stuffed full of rescued American Missionary Children and Pregnant women who had been living in the Philippine jungle, plus the Top Secret Japanese War Plans taken from the body of Admiral Koga himself. (Yamamoto's replacement), running a gauntlet of Japanese destroyers and depth charges while dashing for Australia. Managing to put the plans into Nimitz and SPruances hands just days before the Invasion of Saipan/Battle of the Philippine Sea. It's a good story.
Very good explanation of this. Iirc Shinano only had an actual air group of what, 30 aircraft? To play devils advocate though, she still probably would have been a lot more useful in that role than if she was completed as a battleship. A relatively fast and (if built properly) hard-to-sink ship running around restocking islands and the odd carrier with aircraft was *theoretically* a pretty good idea. The problem is none of that works without fuel.
@sirboomsalot4902 She never even had that big of an airgroup. She was launched prematurely in order to move her to Kure. They believed she had been spotted in the drydock by American recon planes. So they quickly floated her out and sent her on her way. But she wasn't finished. She was still in the "fitting out" stage. Missing a lot of things such as watertight doors. It is doubtful that her arrestor wire system was operational. That's normally pretty late in fitting out. The 30 aircraft she was carrying were 30 rocket powered Baka Bombs. Kamikaze Cruise Missiles. She was carrying them for delivery to Kure. I don't think she had any operational aircraft.
They could not finish her as a battleship. They simply did not have the steel
Well done ...
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Sunk on Nov 29th, 1944? I'm watching this exactly 80 years after these events unfolded Nov 29th, 2024! The sheer coincidence and overall irony are striking, to say the least! BTW, served in the Navy (2006-2014) on a carrier. It's hard to imagine something that large being sunk. 75,000 ton displacement is just 25,000 tons less than a modern-day Nimitz class CVN.
Crazy! Appreciate you watching & have a great week :)
Torpedoes used by the U.S. during WW-2 blew 30-foot holes in the hulls of ships struck by them. Bad news for a vessel rushed to sea that was not seaworthy. The carrier's captain choosing not to stop the ship's engines only finished Shinano off.
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Delighted to get this young man in feel he will be a big player for us . Ps wher is Matt Hayes these days
The Shinano had the shortest lifespan of any carrier ever built thanks to the Archerfish
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great video govna!
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What is the far end of the ship?
I read the book about this and highly recommend it.
What is it called?
Seems like Japan was showing a bit of apathy like the Americans when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, although they were supposed to inform us 30 minutes before attack. So is this a little bit of retribution??
Yep! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
Well done sir. Some comments: "Shook the world"? Lockwood became COMSUBPAC in February 1943; wasn't the commander of Midway subs. That guy reported to Lockwood. The Japanese naval base is pronounced "YO-KOOS-KA". BTW, where/when was the photo of Shinano taken?
Appreciate the feedback, is always welcome! Will note for future videos. The photo shown is from her sea trials. While googling about it (I thought it was an illegal photo taken by a civilian for some reason) I actually just came across a photo taken by a B-29 from above where you can see the Shinano at the top of the frame. A little annoyed as I somehow never came across it while making the video haha. Oh well, thanks for watching and have a great rest of your week :)
@@HiddenHistoryYT I believe both those photos are in Captain Enright's book Shinano!: The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership. In the book it is explained that the top view was taken by B29's and one of the reasons high command wanted to move it. The side view was taken by a civilian like you said that was on a tug boat in I believe Tokyo bay during the ships trials
@@garys2327 Ah so it was by a civilian in the bay! Weirdly didn’t come back across that while looking back into it. Is the book worth getting? I have a few other American sub/commander books but not that one.
Side note: pains me so much how scarce and of poor quality Japanese WW2 photos are
@@HiddenHistoryYT Been a long time since I read it but being that Capt Enright helped write it goes into more detail. Couple that come to mind is why he decided to set torpedo depth at 10 feet and him looking for the drawings he made to prove to HQ of what he saw.
17 hours! 😮
Thanks for watching and have a great weekend :)
Certainly not the largest tonnage ratio in history: Small UB Types of WWI for example had a sinking tonnage ratio of 1/400 or 1/700 tonnes for example. But largest warship sunk by a sub, certainly. One of these 270t subs sunk the French 11,000 tons battleship Gaulois for example. The Gato class was 1600 tonnes, Shinano 62,000, thats pretty close.
They didn't sink the largest warship in history, that would be the USS Gerald ford if I'm not mistaken. They sank what would be the largest ship ever sunk by a submarine.
Yep largest sunk by a submarine! Appreciate you watching and have a fantastic week :)
@@HiddenHistoryYT thanks you too.
A vessel not yet finished and sailing solo, without the protection of other vessels, doesn't appear to be worth being stressed here.
By the some token, the sinking of the Cruiser USS Indianapolis should be emphasized as major war accomplishment by the japonese .
And the Indianapolis was fully operational, capable of reaching fantastic cruising seeps -- something that the "LARGEST Warship sunk in HISTORY by a Submarine" was unable to accomplish.
Let´s imagine that the Indianapolis had been sunk a few days earlier.
In route to delivering the first atomic bomb to the air base...
Obviously, the tragic saga of the cruiser's crew was a terrible ordeal.
However, I never read anything reagarding similar, comparable situations endured by surviving members of the Imperial Navy -- or other navies acting in WWII -- thrown into the water after their vessels' demise.
Movies, books, were made about the Indianapolis and its crew -- lacking a scientific perspective of history.
From a historical view point, this video also lacks historical rigor
The war was over in 1945 -- widening the discussion and including a vast array of diversified facts and perspectives is in order.
Note: Regarding the Atomic bomb: Facing the circumstances, I regret do assume that it had to be used.
Brought the war to an end, saving American and even japonese lives -- in terms of casualties, the attacks on Dresden, Berlin and all major German cities killed a great more deal of civilians.
Germany was already defeated, the air-attacks didn't destroy the population moral.
Attacks pursued by 1.000 and even 1.500 bombers? An over-killing...
Thanks for sharing this, enjoyed reading it! Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
Just serving in a submarine and Generals is a rough deal
Oh ya! Appreciate you watching and have a great week :)
Just a shame that field practice doesn't count (since no ship necessarily gets actually sunk during those), since there's this Nimitz class aircraft carrier that once got sunk by a Dutch Walrus class submarine.
Ya that whole war game is very interesting! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
The Shinano is the military version of the Titanic,both sunk on their maiden Voyage.
Yep! Thanks for watching and have a great week :)
I am just wondering, if the Shinano had the armored belts that were the same as the Yamoto would the torpedo attack carried out by the USS Archerfish would have had the same outcome?
Personally I doubt that it would. But the World is not made up of what ifs.
Yamato took 11! torpedo hits!