After half of a Kaiten Type 1 torpedo after recovery by US forces at Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands, Jan 1945

Caption     After half of a Kaiten Type 1 torpedo after recovery by US forces at Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands, Jan 1945 ww2dbase
Photographer    Unknown
Source    ww2dbaseUnited States Navy
Identification Code   80-G-350027
More on...   
Japanese Midget Submarine Warfare in World War II   Main article  Photos  
Kaiten-class   Main article  Photos  
Photo Size 5,721 x 4,588 pixels
Photos at Same Place Ulithi, Caroline Islands
Added By David Stubblebine
Licensing  Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government".

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Colorized By WW2DB     Colorized with Adobe Photoshop



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed David Stubblebine says:
24 Dec 2015 06:16:18 PM

This is almost certainly what is left of the kaiten described in a press release issued on 11 Jan 1945 by Services Squadron Ten at Ulithi:
“While trying to sneak over the top of a reef at high tide, and gain entrance to a U.S. Navy Fleet anchorage, a one-man Japanese submarine blew up and exploded when her torpedoes (carried on the outside) struck a coral head. The entire 40-foot underwater craft, from midships forward was blown to smithereens. Force of the blast blew an 18-feet wide hole in the reef, and tossed the submarine nearly 100 feet. The after section remained intact. Parts of the submarine were found scattered in the surf for a hundred yards in every direction. The [pilot] was blown to bits ... as far as 200 feet from the craft.”
This misstates the design of the kaiten and conforms to the intelligence policy of the time to describe kaitens as submarines that fire torpedoes rather than as the piloted torpedoes they were.

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Ulithi, Caroline Islands
Lat/Long 10.0292, 139.7646
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