Ha-19 grounded in the surf on Oahu after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 1941 |
|
| Career (Japan) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ha-19 |
| Builder: | Kure Naval Dockyard, Kure |
| Launched: | 1938 |
| Fate: | Grounded, 7 December 1941 |
| Status: | Exhibit |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type A Ko-hyoteki-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 46 long tons (47 t) submerged[1] |
| Length: | 23.9 m (78 ft 5 in)[1] |
| Beam: | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Height: | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: | 1 × electric motor, 600 hp (447 kW)[1] 2 × counter-rotating screws |
| Speed: | 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) surfaced 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) submerged[1] |
| Range: | 100 nmi (190 km) at 2 kn (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph)[1] 80 nmi (150 km) at 6 kn (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) 18 nmi (33 km) at 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Test depth: | 30 m (98 ft)[1] |
| Complement: | 2[1] |
| Armament: | • 2 × 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedoes, muzzle-loaded into tubes[1] • 1 × 300 lb (140 kg) scuttling charge |
|
HA. 19 (midget submarine)
|
|
|
|
|
| Location: | Fredericksburg, Texas, USA (formerly at NAS Key West, Key West, Florida) |
|---|---|
| Built: | 1941 |
| Architect: | Kure Dockyard |
| Governing body: | Private (formerly Dept. of the Navy) |
| NRHP Reference#: | 89001428 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | June 30, 1989[2] |
| Designated NHL: | June 30, 1989[3] |
The HA. 19 (Japanese Midget Submarine) (also known as Japanese Midget Submarine "C" by the U.S. Navy) is a historic Imperial Japanese Navy Type A Ko-hyoteki class midget submarine that was part of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Orders for this submarine were to enter Pearl Harbor. However, she did not enter the harbor, and it was grounded and captured. The submarine was put on display at NAS Key West, in Florida, but is now in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Contents |
Ha-19 was built at Kure Naval Dockyard, Kure as a Type A Ko-hyoteki class submarine in 1938. The Type 92 periscope was installed later in May 1941.
In November 1941, Ha-19 was part of the Kido Butai and physically attached to I-24 as its mother ship. Its two man crew consisted of Ensign Kazuo Sakamaki (1918–1999) and Chief Warrant Officer Kiyoshi Inagaki (1915–1941).
On 7 December 1941 at 3:30am, Ha-19 launched from I-24 with a broken gyrocompass. The crew had four and a half hours to get to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to join the Attack on Pearl Harbor and had to fix the compass en route.
Ha-19 reached the entrance to the harbor, and impaired by the unfixed compass, it hit a reef three times and got grounded on the starboard side of the entrance at 8:00am. With the attack on the Harbor underway, the stranded submarine was spotted and attacked at 8:17 by the USS Helm. The destroyer missed and managed to blast Ha-19 off the reef, knocking Sakamaki unconscious. Inagaki dived the submarine, and when he resurfaced at 8:18, the Helm opened fire again and missed. Inagaki dived once more to escape the confrontation.
When Sakamaki awoke, they made another attempt at the harbor. The grounding had damaged the vessel so it could not fire one of its torpedoes. It flooded and the batteries were giving off fumes from being in contact with seawater. Attempting to enter the harbor they hit the reef again and reversed for another attempt. On the next try, it was grounded again, but after adjusting the ballast it was freed. On the final attempt, it came under a depth charge attack that disabled its ability to fire the other torpedo and damaged the periscope. The crew decided to abort the attack and turned around. The fumes given off by the batteries finally overcame them and the currents carried it east. The crew awoke to find it was night, and they intended to land the submarine ashore at Waimānalo. The engine died and it ran aground on another reef. Sakamaki ordered Inagaki to abandon ship while he set the scuttling charge and followed suit. The charge failed to detonate. Sakamaki managed to swim through the surf to shore where he collapsed and was captured the next day. Inagaki drowned and his body washed ashore.
On 7 December 1941, Ha-19 was bombed by Army planes. The bombs missed and made it break free and wash ashore. With the aid of an army tractor it was pulled out of the sea. Ha-19 was built to be disassembled into three parts, and this characteristic was utilized. It was transported to Pearl Harbor Submarine Base. The submarine was searched, yielding documents, and it was determined that most of the damage was a result of the multiple groundings.
Ha-19 was sent to the U.S. mainland in January 1942 where it went on war bond tours. It was at Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois when the War ended.
On 20 January 1947, it was put on outdoor display at Naval Air Station Key West, Key West, Florida. On 2 December 1964, it was loaned to the Key West Art and Historical Association and moved to an indoor exhibit at Key West Light. On 30 June 1989, it was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places,[2] and was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark.[3] [4] In 1991, it was moved to Fredericksburg, Texas to become part of the National Museum of the Pacific War at the Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site. That same year, Sakamaki attended a historical conference and was reunited with his submarine.
Ha-19 is located at the National Museum of the Pacific War, the former Admiral Nimitz Museum, at 340 East Main Street in Fredericksburg, Texas.