Item:
ONSV8551

Original Imperial Japanese WWII Two-Man Ko-hyoteki Class Midget Submarine Bolt - Captured at Pearl Harbor December 7th 1941

Item Description

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. The HA. 19 (also known as Japanese Midget Submarine "C" by the US Navy) is a historic Imperial Japanese Navy Type A Kō-hyōteki-class midget submarine that was part of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The submarine's crew was ordered to enter Pearl Harbor, attack the moored American warships with its two torpedoes and then scuttle her with explosives. However, the crew was unable to enter the harbor due to navigational difficulties, and the submarine ran aground and was captured by American forces.

HA. 19 is now displayed at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.

HA. 19 was given the American designation of "Midget C", the third letter of the alphabet, being the third midget submarine spotted by American forces. On 8 December 1941, the abandoned HA. 19 was bombed by U.S. Army aircraft. The bombs missed and she broke free and washed on to the beach. In the days following the attack she was pulled out of the sea with the aid of an Army tractor. HA. 19 was built to be disassembled into three parts, and this characteristic was utilized to dismantle her without destroying the vessel. She was transported to the Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor and examined, yielding technical data and various documents. It was determined that most of the damage to HA. 19 was a result of the multiple groundings.

HA. 19 was sent to the U.S. mainland in September (Navy Photograph 8/29/42) 1942 where she went on war bond tours. She was at Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois when the war ended.

On 20 January 1947, HA. 19 was put on outdoor display at Naval Station Key West, Key West, Florida. On 2 December 1964, she was loaned to the Key West Art and Historical Association and moved to an outdoor exhibit at the Key West Lighthouse and Military Museum adjacent to Key West Light. On 30 June 1989, HA. 19 was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

In 1990, the association administering the Key West museum decided to transition their facility to a strictly lighthouse museum and began divesting itself of its military collections. In 1991, HA. 19 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 at the museum and was reunited with his submarine.

This is reportedly a bolt taken from the submarine Japanese Midget Submarine "C". It measures 3/4" wide and 1 1/2" long. Attached to it is a small engraved brass plaque that reads:

CAP SCREW TAKEN FROM
TWO-MAN JAPANESE
SUBMARINE CAPTURED AT
PEARL HARBOR DEC 7, 1941

Offered in very good condition, worthy of further research.
  • This product is available for international shipping.
  • Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Cash For Collectibles