Current ARS-22 - History

Yokota Air Base was used in the aftermath of the earthquake as a landing field for commercial flights as Tokyo Narita Airport was closed. The Navy helicopters based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi and elsewhere were made available for search and rescue immediately after the tsunami, including searching off-shore debris fields and later assisted with food drops P-3 Orion aircraft were used to do damage surveys. Amphibious landing craft and utility landing craft (LCUs) were used to deploy U.S and Japanese troops and supplies to areas where docks were damaged. Japan electrical company trucks were moved by U.S. LCUs from USS Essex (LHD-2), notably to Oshima Island.

The destroyers USS McCampbell (DDG-85) and USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), which were off the Peninsula at the time of the earthquake, and their helicopters were made available for search and rescue. The landing ships USS Essex (LHD-2) and USS Germantown (LSD-42), with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa, were moved from the Sea of Japan to the east coast of Japan.

USS Tortuga (LSD-46), an amphibious dock ship, embarked two MH-53E Heavy Lift Helicopters assigned to HM-14 DET 1 stationed in Pohang South Korea. The entire DET was on board Tortuga less than 18 hours after the earthquake and tsunami hit. Tortuga transported 800 Japanese civil defense workers from Hokkaido to Honshu with 90 vehicles.[12][not specific enough to verify]

Military Sealift Command ships also took part in the operation by transferring relief supplies and fuel to other supporting ships. The ships that took part in the operation were USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7), USNS Pecos (T-AO 197),USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204), USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9), USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10).

USNS Safeguard (T-ARS-50), which was stationed at U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, arrived at Hachinohe, Japan with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 and Underwater Construction Team 2 to clear wreckage from a local commercial channel.

During the operation the 7th Fleet flew 160 search and relief sorties for 1,100 flight hours, delivered 260 tons of relief supplies, and helped clear the ports of Hachinohe, Aomori, Miyako, Iwate, and Kesennuma, Miyagi.

In total 130 aircraft, 12,510 personnel and over 16 American naval ships took part in Operation Tomodachi, including USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS Shiloh (CG-67), USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), USS McCampbell (DDG-85), USS Preble (DDG-88), USS Mustin (DDG-89), USS Germantown (LSD-42), USS Tortuga (LSD-46), USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49), USS Essex (LHD-2), USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), USNS Safeguard (T-ARS-50).

Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps facilities in Japan escaped major damage, with no reported casualties. This intact infrastructure allowed Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler to mobilize aid quickly.

Marines based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma moved command and control teams and systems to NAF Atsugi. Eight KC-130Js from VMGR-152 and eight CH-46E and four CH-53 Super Stallions transport helicopters from HMM-265, all from MCAS Futenma, were made available to transport rescue teams and equipment, as well as provide search and rescue.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit responded to Northern Japan from Malaysia and Indonesia, where the unit was conducting Theater Security Cooperation exercises. The 31st MEU delivered relief supplies to five cities, one island and one Japanese ship. More than 164,000 pounds of food and relief supplies were delivered, along with thousands of gallons of water. Elements of the 31st MEU, including Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines went ashore on Oshima Island to deliver critical supplies and assist in debris removal.

MV Westpac Express, a civil-registered fast ferry chartered by the Marine Corps, was made available to transport equipment from Okinawa to Honshu. Westpac Express made two sorties in support of Operation Tomodachi. The ship moved 450 tons of cargo, including 7-ton trucks, fuel tankers, generators and water tanks from Okinawa to Iwakuni, Japan, arriving 15 March. On 20 March, Westpac Express loaded 226 pallets of bottled water at Pohang, ROK, off-loading at Iwakuni the next day.

Air Force
A United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker arrived at Misawa Air Base on 14 March with the first batch of relief workers and 50 civil engineers from Kadena Air Base.

A USAF C-17 is checked for radiation at Yokota after a relief flight.
Two C-17A Globemaster cargo aircraft from Joint Base Lewis-McChord were made available to transport rescue teams and equipment. A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle was deployed from Guam for damage assessments.

Air base
Yokota Air Base is the hub for air operations from which cleanup crews were dispatched to clean up Sendai airport. At a Town Hall meeting, the Commander of the 374th Air Wing USAF presented an overview of joint forces operations in support of the Japanese and emphasized teamwork between various players. He stated that "we are very blessed" to be in the nation of Japan because it has a highly sophisticated set of technologies to minimize the damage but that the personnel, logistic and financing problems were formidable.

He repeatedly asserted that the situation is "eminently controllable" in part due to highly experienced personnel available for various contingencies. US military personnel stationed at the Air Base expressed interest in making cash donations &ndash in dollars or yen &ndash to the American Red Cross and other organizations working in the Japanese relief effort.

Beach, William (Bill) J

My first recollection of Bethpage was when I went to work for Grumman Aircraft, as a Rivet Bucker for "Rosie the Riveter", on the F4F "Wildcat" in 1944 at the age of 16. I remember how dark and desolete it was out here at 5:30 AM on my way to work at Plant #2 from my home in Franklin Square. I took the Hempstead Trunpike where there was nothing but open fields, and after I passed the Hempstead line and Meadowbrook Hospital it was very dark.

I went into the Navy in 1945.

I returned to Bethpage 1957 with my wife Julia and son John (18 months old), and bought a house on Thomas Avenue under the G. I. Bill. Daughters Bonnie was born 1957, Susan was born in 1961, and son Thomas born in 1965.

I was a Patrolman in the NCPD. In 1970 I became the Commanding Officer of Detectives at the Eight Precinct in Bethpage. During my tenure we investigated many criminal cases in and around Bethpage. Two of the most infamous cases was the extensive damage to the stained glass windows at St. Martin of Tours R. C. Church on Central Avenue. The other was the attempt to blow up the model of the Grumman LEM which was on display in the town parking lot near the railroad station.

Good neighbors like Vera and Chappy Mirando.

Mr. Greco the railroad gateman on Broadway. I do not remember the names of the gatemen at Stewart Avenue or Central Avenue.

How upset we all were when they tore up all the beautiful trees along Stewart Avenue to widen the road. It was said, "why did they do that, Stewart Avenue goes from nowhere to nowhere."

The good times at Anselmi's on Broadway, and we always talked about having dinner at the Beau Sejour, but never did. The best glass of beer in town was at Duebels (corner of Stewart Avenue and Central Avenue), and at the 5 Corners at Stewart Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike.

All the children in our neighborhood, on Thomas Avenue, were kept off the sidewalks every weekday from 4:00 to 4:15. That was the time of the daily exodus from Grumman.

Standing at the fence on Central Avenue with my children watching the planes landing on the Grumman runway, particularly the Navy planes with the big radar domes on top, and the loud roar as they tested the airplane engines on the runway.

The hours my mother spent sitting at Railroad Avenue and 10th Street with the children watching the steam engines go by. The reward for a wave was a toot from the train whistle.

Senstacken's Bakery after Sunday Services at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Stewart Avenue.

Pastor James Taylor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, an outstanding man.

The Grumman Yankees, Grumman's fast pitch softball team which won the National Softball Championship on numerous occasions. Roy Stevenson, Grumman's world class softball pitcher who is enshrined in the Softball Hall of Fame.

Sadly, the loss of my wife in 1980 at the age of 48 to cancer.

(submitted to the CPHS in 9/01 by Bill Beach)

MILITARY SERVICE
William John Beach Rate: EN2 SS. 1945-1949 USN - 1949-1953 USNR

1946 served aboard USS Current ARS 22-Member of Joint Task Force 1, which conducted Atomic Bomb Tests ("OPERATION CROSSROADS") at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, South Pacific. At both "Able" and "Baker" Blasts which were detonated on July 1, 1946 ("Able") and on July 25, 1946 ("Baker")

1947-1949 served aboard the USS Catfish SS339. Member of Submarine Division 15 Pacific Flet. Conducted numerous Cold War Submarine Patrols, various areas Pacific Ocean.

WW2 Victory Medal Pacific Theatre Ribbon American Campaign Ribbon Good Conduct Medal

Member: US Atomic War Veterans US Submarine Veterans - Long Island Base American Legion - Nassau Police Post

THE BEACHES AND BETHPAGE - Submitted by William Beach 12/3/13 - Story published in CPHS January/February 2014 Newsletter

The Beaches were responsible for recovering and paid the cost of refurbishing a long forgotten Bronze WWII Memorial Plaque for Robert Damm and Raymond E. Caffrey, two young men from Bethpage who were killed in WWII. The plaque had been buried and forgotten in front of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Once unearthed it was rededicated with a ceremony attended by Bethpage VFW Post, Post Commander Bud Rosch, Legislator Rose Marie Walker, and members of the community.

ATTACK ON THE SS ABSAROKA

It is known the sub eventually left the area without harm and, possibly because of her actions against the Absaroka, the December 27th attack was called off.[1]

Two months later, on the night of February 25, 1942, one of the most mysterious events to have transpired in the war, or any other time for that matter, unfolded. At 1:44 AM in the morning, a remote military radar installation that was part of a newly minted early warning system, picked up an unidentified aerial target 120 miles west of Los Angeles and closing. At 2:15 AM Los Angeles area anti-aircraft batteries were put on Green Alert --- ready to fire --- and at 2:21 AM the regional controller ordered a total area-wide blackout. Then, just minutes before the object should have come into the path of the waiting anti-aircraft guns it suddenly vanished. Soon it was seen rising up over the Santa Monica Mountains behind and to the east of the aimed direction of the anti-aircraft guns. At 3:06 AM the Santa Monica area anti-aircraft batteries turned inward toward the object and started firing out over the city following it's track toward Baldwin Hills. Suddenly "the air over Los Angeles erupted like a volcano." (source)

During the intervening period the the giant object of unknown origin, said to be 800 feet long --- the size of a Zeppelin --- withstood the continued pounding of 1440 direct hit anti-aircraft rounds with no signs of any ill effect. From Baldwin Hills it turned back toward the coast heading south past the beach cities of Manhattan and Hermosa. When it reached Redondo Beach it turned inland again then south back out to sea between Long Beach and Huntington Beach, never to be seen again. The true aspects of mystifying incident have never been answered. Some say it was the Japanese, although after the war they completely refuted any implication in the event. Others say it was pure mass hysteria.

A person by the name of C. Scott Littleton was a young boy living along the Strand in Hermosa Beach when the object flew past his house just beyond the surf-line paralleling the coast. It was Littleton's later published reports as an adult that supports the the fact that the object turned inland around Redondo Beach. It was however, not the only confirmation. Within minutes of the Littleton sighting, just south of the Edison steam plant another eyewitness confirmed the object turned diagonally inland toward the south-southeast flying almost directly over the top of the Happy Hour Cafe at 400 Strand, Redondo Beach, owned by the infamous Fifie Malouf.

DURING MY CHILDHOOD REDONDO BEACH LOOKED MUCH AS THE ABOVE, ENDING AT THE OILFIELDS
(please click image)

The following, describing the eyewitness account, is found at the Fifie Malouf link:

"(O)ne night in February 1942 right there on the Strand a huge, giant object, as big as a locomotive, came in off the ocean and flew right over the top of the Happy Hour Cafe and the apartments. (I) had heard a ruckus going on outside, sirens, guns firing, all kinds of stuff, so (I) went out on to the Strand only to see this 'thing' a few hundred feet above the beach slowly glide overhead off the ocean, not making a sound and, because of its length, taking forever to pass over."

As the object approached the top of the hill as it sloped up from the beach, it's path was picked up by a man named Edwards. Edwards, along with his father, owned and operated a neighborhood store on Garnet Street maybe a mile or so inland. The younger Edwards grew up in Redondo Beach and lived in a house on Juanita Avenue just up the street from the store almost on the top of the crest of the Garnet Street hill. Edwards was probably in his early 30s or so in 1942 when the object crossed right over his house. The following is how he recalled the event:

"(Edwards) was awakened in the darkened pre-dawn hours by what he thought was the sound of gunfire. Then the house began to rattle, then shudder, causing a few things to fall off the shelves as though a bulldozer or a freight train had gone by right out front of the house on the sidewalk or something. He ran outside just barely catching a glimpse of what he said looked like the dark black hull of a 'flying ship' cresting over and going down the hill toward Torrance Boulevard. He raced inside, threw on a pair of shoes and a jacket over his pajamas and ran out to the top of the hill thinking all along that whatever it was crashed into the houses on Lucia Street or into the oil fields beyond. When he got to the top of the hill none of the houses were destroyed, nothing was on fire, and there was no sign of the object." (source)

Then, not very many minutes after it had been seen in the sky over Redondo Beach, the object was out over the agriculture fields that existed in those days a few miles inland east and south of the beach cities. That same night a young man and recent college graduate named Albert Nozaki was helping guard a relative's field from vandals that had been ruining crops and breaking irrigation systems because, he thought, they were Japanese. Below describes what Nozaki saw that night in the early morning hours:

"(A)pproaching him well above the fields from the west, silhouetted against the slightly lighter night sky, was a fairly huge dark airborne object coming straight toward him at a fairly quick pace. At first it seemed as though it would take a path off to the right of where he was standing, but before it reached him it just barely began turning flatly toward the south, almost as in a controlled drift. By then he was just under the edge of the object as it went over him with the center off to his left, continuing its turn and eventually disappearing in the southern night sky while all the time gaining altitude. It was huge, dark, very long and wide with no lights or signs of windows. Although it did not have protruding wings like an airplane, the object's outside edges ominously curved down. As well, other than feeling a slight vibrational 'hum' in his chest as it passed over, the object made no sound."

ALBERT NOZAKI: War of the Worlds

Nozaki, who later went on to be an Oscar nominated art director, apparently drawing upon his his experiences in the field that night in 1942, designed the terrifying Martian flying machines seen in the 1953 movie War of the Worlds. Without any real answers to what the object might have been, a strong string of out-of-this world extra-terrestrial connontations has blanketed the phenomenon, of which such an angle, pro and con, is explored as found in The Battle of Los Angeles: 1942 UFO.

Although I remember the events of the so-called Battle of Los Angeles on February 25, 1942 quite well I have no personal recollection from the same period regarding the aforementioned barge, the Kohala, being accidently bombed off the coast of Redondo Beach just two months earlier on Christmas day, 1941. It could be my parents, possibly thinking it was an enemy submarine so close to Redondo, may have purposely chosen to withold knowledge of the events of that day from my brothers and me because it WAS Christmas day. The thing is, even the Japanese say they were not involved in the Battle of Los Angeles incident --- so, in that sense the Battle was not exactly "war related," like say the barge situation was. There are however, two actual physical World War II Japan versus the United States war related events I personally saw and still remember quite well --- although both were apparently minor in the overall scheme of things and neither show up anywhere in history books I have ever been able to find.

One was in Santa Barbara, the other in Redondo Beach. Chronologically the Santa Barbara event happened a few years after the Redondo Beach one, but I am presenting the Santa Barbara incident ahead because I want to close with Redondo.

When the war started, as far as I knew, my mother was well and healthy. Such was not the case. As the war wore on she appeared to be sicker and sicker. Eventually she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, a tumor that impacted her daily activities and in the end led to her being totally incapacitated and death at a very young age.[2] During that lead up period to her total incapacitation it became increasingly more difficult for my father to care for her as well as take care of three young boys, so much so that he decided to investigate the possibility of a full time care facility. One of the facilities he looked into was an around the clock full care sanatorium-like hospital in Santa Barbara. The day he went to see it he took me and my mother along. While we were there we went out on the Santa Barbara pier. Somewhere along one edge of the pier was a crane-like boom that was in the process of pulling an airplane out of the water and placing it on a flatbed trailer. To me the plane was what I would call a seaplane. On its wings and behind the wings on both sides of the fuselage were clearly distinguishable bright red circular Japanese insignias. The plane was intact and showed no signs of visible damage. Years later I would identify the plane as a Yokosuka E14Y Floatplane. How such a plane ended up being put onto a waiting flatbed trailer on the dock in Santa Barbara has been semi-explained to me as I've cited elsewhere, however, personally, for me it still remains a mystery and unclear. So too, as it is, the whole of the year remains somewhat fuzzy or unclear to me, but the Santa Barbara plane-thing I think most likely occurred early in the year of 1943 and for sure before the end of the year because by Christmas of 1943 I was in India, not returning until the summer of 1944.

The first part of 1943 can be fairly well substantiated as well. My dad was an air raid warden on our block and for several blocks around and did a lot of what I thought was really neat air raid warden stuff. Wanting to be like my dad I mimicked him in a proud sort of way by answering an ad in a comic book for a Junior Air Raid Warden Kit, thus becoming, at least as I viewed it, an air raid warden myself. I know the advertisement began appearing as early as February 1943, meaning most likely, by taking into consideration the cover date lead time, the ad was showing up on the magazine stands by sometime in mid-late December 1942 or at least by January 1943. Knowing me and how I responded to other like offers plus how important being an air raid warden meant to me personally I was most likely chaffing at the bit to get one as soon as I could, so I'm sure by early February 1943 I had one.

FYI, the E14Y floatplane was typically launched from a B-1 type Japanese submarine. To my knowledge there is no record of a B-1 type submarine operating that far south along the coast during the time period I saw the plane being lifted out of the water.[3]

The second of the two war related events I really remember involved a two-man Japanese Midget Submarine that washed up on the beach just south of the Redondo Beach pier --- an event that goes totally unreported for some reason. A then Redondo Beach resident named Max Harris and an avowed eyewitness to the midget sub washing up on the beach, who would be well into his 90s now if still alive, was age 26 at the time and, extrapolated from his own words, describes how he recalls the event:

"It was a quiet morning around 10:00 AM and me and my girlfriend were walking along the beach. All of a sudden out of nowhere, six American bombers flew right over us and started dropping bombs about 500 yards from the shoreline. They then circled back and did it again, dropping at least 50 bombs and then flew away. The next thing I knew about 200 soldiers appeared and they quickly closed the beach.

"Later that day radio news broadcasts said that a Japanese two-man submarine had been sighted off the coast of Redondo and it was destroyed. Two days later the submarine washed up on shore and inside they found the bodies of two Japanese Naval officers." (source)

Harris has cited the date of the above event as being October 4, 1942. It is not clear exactly what the date Harris gives signifies. Since the sub took two days following the bombing to actually show up on the beach, when Harris says the 4th, does he mean the day of the bombing was the 4th thus indicating the day the sub washed up on shore was the 6th? Or does he mean the day the sub washed up was the 4th meaning the sub was bombed the 2nd?

Why is it important? It has to do with HOW the sub was able to end up being off the coast of Redondo Beach in the first place. I remember a different date, maybe only a few days later, but enough days to allow the submarine to be off Redondo on a more-or-less "official record" basis.

------
ALMOST ANYONE KNOWING REDONDO WOULD RECOGNIZE THE COLOR PHOTO ON THE RIGHT AS BEING ALONG THE ESPLANADE

THE OCEAN OFF HERMOSA BEACH LOOKED THE SAME THE NIGHT OF THE LA UFO
(please click image)

My brother's birthday is more toward the middle of October. Since his birthday fell on a weekend in 1942 my parents decided to give him a surprise party. To pull it off required my brothers and me to be out of the house while it was being decorated and guests, friends and kids secretly arrived --- so my dad took us to the beach for a walk. It was not unusual to wander along the sand with one or the other or both of our parents, or even grandparents, so it was no big thing. However, we invariably hunted moonstones on what was called Moonstone Beach in front of the Strand that ran north of the pier in those days near the previously mentioned Happy Hour Cafe. Instead, this time, no sooner had we reached the Strand than we worked our way south of the pier to see a highly-muted town event, a two-man Japanese midget submarine that had washed up on shore. Even though the sub was roped off blocking any formal access from the front, to get to it my dad took us along a narrow strip between the Horseshoe Pier and the rocks, crossing under the pilings of the straight pier along the surf line and onto the beach proper. When we reached the sub he lifted me up and I was able to look inside through an open hatch.

A handful of well armed GIs, if not toting rifles slung over their shoulders were at least carrying side arms, whose job it was to apparently guard the submarine in some fashion from incorrigibles or worse, had repositioned themselves some distance from the immediate vicinity of the sub to the somewhat more palatable sidewalk above the beach in order to interact with a few of the more viable members of the local female population. Eventually one of the GIs saw us climbing all over the sub and waved us off with no shots fired.

A few days before, within minutes of the midget submarine being spotted 500 yards off the Redondo Beach pier, a half a dozen airplanes dropped bombs from her last known position to all along her suspected path of travel. Two days later the sub, although virtually undamaged, washed up on shore. The date of the event has been reported as being October 4, 1942, although it doesn't really matter much that the bombing occurred in October but that I personally saw the midget submarine within days of it washing up on the beach --- and I remember quite clearly seeing it with my dad --- we were there that day because we had to be out of the house for my brother's birthday

Six planes dropped 50 bombs a quarter mile off the beach at 10:00 in the morning! That is a heck of a lot of bombs and a WHOLE lot of noise, especially so early in the day on whatever day or date it was done. One would think I would recall specifically such a major noise making event living only a few blocks from the ocean and straight up from the pier. The thing is, the thumping noise of explosives had become common place. Not long after Pearl Harbor the military installed two 155mm guns of the end of the Redondo Beach pier as well as anti-aircraft guns a short distance away just above the beach south of Redondo by the Hollywood Riviera Club. They were constantly test firing the things, so much so that in the case of the anti-aircraft guns the continued pounding of the ensuing target practice structurally damaged the club so much it actually had to close the place in 1942.

ONE OF TWO 155mm GUNS PLACED ON THE END OF
REDONDO BEACH'S PIER, DECEMBER 1941 TO 1943

By October 1942 most if not all of the Japanese submarines, except for the I-25, had departed the west coast for other areas of operation. The whereabouts of the I-25, which had just participated in the aerial bombing of Oregon on September 9th and the 29th, was known to still be off the south Oregon coast on October 4, 1942 because on that date she torpedoed the 6,653-ton American tanker Camden. Two days later on October 6th the I-25 sunk the 7,038-ton American tanker Larry Doheny somewhere south of Cape Sebastian. Thereafter it is said to have departed the Oregon coast arriving in Yokosuka, Japan October 24, 1942 for overhaul. During the 20-day span that lapsed between the September 9th aerial attack on the U.S. mainland in Oregon and the second one on September 29th, the I-25 embarked on an extremely top secret mission involving the release of the midget submarine that ended up being bombed off Redondo --- a mission that one day, once it came to light, would reveal a top secret Japanese plan embracing the uncontrolled unleashing of a nuclear weapon against U.S. soil along the Pacific west coast, more specifically the Los Angeles basin.

FUTURE MOTHER SHIP LAUNCHES FIRST OF TWO AIR STRIKES AGAINST OREGON IN SEPTEMBER 1942
(please click image)

On the 10th of September, one single day after the I-25's first aerial bombing of Oregon, which was for the most part was so ineffective it was basically unknown at the time --- and basically still is --- an Army Air Force maritime patrol bomber out of McChord Field in Tacoma, Washington, not searching for the sub but on routine patrol, caught the I-25 exposed on the surface with a number of crew members on deck. The sub managed to crash-dive eventually escaping with no damage after the bomber dropped a whole bomb bay of explosives on her (some reports cite anywhere from 3 to 10 depth charges unleashed by the bomber). A few days later, well off the Oregon coast and no longer being pursued --- and apparently what the crew was on deck making preparations for --- the sub took on a two-man midget sub. The sub was apparently offloaded from an armed merchant ship or commerce raider, with all fingers pointing to the Japanese transport ship Hakusan Maru, she being escorted at the time in the open seas south of the Aleutians by the Japanese submarine RO-64, both vessels operating out of the occupied island of Kiska, Alaska.

Midget subs, which had a short range of operation, typically carried only two crew members, and had to be launched from a mothership, of which the I-25 had the capability of being, and as clearly shown on the map to the right, transported it south, leaving it and it's crew in the shadow of one of the Channel Islands, most likely Santa Barbara Island, 38 miles off the southern California coast or San Nicolas located 76 miles south west of Redondo Beach. There the midget sub lurked for several days up to a week or two waiting along the beach or one of the coves for the right time to strike or complete its mission.[4]

It should be noted that B-1 type submarines like the I-25 that carried and launched the midget sub had a 14,000 nautical mile range. The home base for the I-25 was thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean from the U.S. on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. It was scheduled to arrive in Yokosuka, Japan October 24, 1942 for overhaul after having left Kwajalein ten months earlier, on January 11, 1942.

When the I-25 departed the waters off Oregon in September and headed south to release the midget submarine it had already transited clear across the Pacific and been prowling up and down the U.S. Pacific west coast close to ten months, soon after-which it was low on or had no torpedoes as well as running low on fuel and provisions. It is my belief the I-25, after launching the two-man sub on or near one of the Channel Islands she continued south to the La Palma Secret Base seen and reported on by American espionage agent and actress Rochelle Hudson as being located in the estuaries near Acacoyagua, Chiapas, Mexico. There she refueled and took on supplies --- then returned north, of which one would think to retrieve the midget sub and/or pick up it's crew. However, on September 29th the I-25 was back in northwest waters, having bypassed both Redondo Beach and the Channel Islands because it is a known fact she launched a plane to set fire to the Oregon forests on that date. Then, a few days later, on October 4, the same day the midget submarine was bombed off Redondo, the I-25 torpedoed the 6,653-ton American tanker Camden in Oregon waters. Two days after that, on the 6th, she sank the 7,038-ton American tanker Larry Doheny somewhere south of Cape Sebastian.

Following the semi-successful attack against the tanker Camden which, although on fire, did not sink until seven days after being torpedoed, and the more successful attack against the Larry Doheny which sank immediately, the I-25 departed the Pacific west coast altogether, arriving in Yokosuka, Japan October 24, 1942. The question is, was the crew and midget sub left out to dry or had the I-25 picked up the crew on the way back north leaving the sub abandoned only to end up floating unmanned off Redondo? Although it is known the I-25 as a mother ship had the ability to launch a midget sub it isn't clear that she could float under one or actually pull one out of the water and safely reattach it on her aft deck. Hence, if such was the case, i.e., not being able to reattach the sub, crew or not, the two man sub would have to be left, albeit most likely scuttled.

JAPANESE TWO-MAN SUBMARINE MOUNTED ADJACENT TO THE MOTHER SHIP'S CONNING TOWER
(please click image)

As for the midget submarine, although there were plenty of targets in the north around Seattle and San Francisco for both full-size and midget submarines, there were no known substantial hard targets that fell into the range of capabilities of a two-man sub in the general Los Angeles area. No U.S. aircraft carriers, battleships, or other major naval vessels or warships like up north. Nothing coastal that could have been impacted adversely enough to warrant such a mission either. At the time the midget sub was thought to have been dealing with a soft target, say like the pick up or delivery of documents, maps or blueprints or a high profile person, most likely a spy, saboteur, or turncoat. In that there were only two naval officers said to have been on board, if they were delivering, it is not known if our military interceded or confiscated whatever it was prior to or after the bombing OR if the sub's crew had already transfered the package to the mainland, with the whatever it was blending into the wartime milieu of America.

Why the two-man sub was running close to or on the surface at 10:00 AM in broad daylight right off the coast of Redondo Beach and WHY Redondo Beach, is not known, although the quoted paragraph below sheds light on the prime suspected possibility. Nobody knows if the sub was coming or going or which direction it was traveling. If it had been positioned due west by it's mother ship off one of the Channel Islands there would be no practical reason, military or otherwise, for the sub to be transiting the blight in a north-south direction paralleling the South Bay coastline during daylight hours. Same with east-west. Midget subs only carried a small air reserve and not much under surface battery power compared to conventional subs, but usually had sufficient supplies of both for any mission assigned. The midget submarine may have already completed it's mission and abandoned. As well the mission may have involved San Nicolas Island, re the following from the source so cited:

"Top of the list was the then little known, never before built nor never before tested theoretical weapon called the atomic bomb. The brain trust that was eventually put together to design such a weapon knew that once constructed, before it could ever be used formally, some form of the weapon would have to be tested --- and that any test would have to be done in some isolated spot without prying eyes, with minimal concern for destruction and radioactive fallout. Top secret at the time, several locations were suggested, of which one was San Nicolas Island, the most remote of the California Channel Islands." (source)

Harris reported two dead Japanese were found on the sub which means at the time of the bombing the sub wasn't abandoned by it's crew. Nothing about the Japanese officers or their fate has ever been revealed. But, if they were still alive at the time of the bombing or already dead is not known. I saw the sub on the beach within a day or so of it washing up and to my knowledge no bodies were found in conjuction with the sub. Even though there is very little that could be much more blatantly obvious than an enemy two-man sub washing up on a public beach in a highly populated area, let alone with two dead Japanese officers, the whole incident must have been super-sensitive on BOTH sides because it was kept quiet at the time and very little or nothing has surfaced regarding the event since.

It is odd that after all these years not one official has come forward with details of what happened. After all, Harris is quoted as saying "200 soldiers appeared and they quickly closed the beach." That is an awful lot of witnesses, and for sure, not all of them could have had security clearances. If the two dead naval officers died in the line of duty, out of courtesy, more than likely their bodies were returned to Japan, so another sizable group of non security clearance personel would have been involved.[5]

I find it even more odd that in 1942, Harris, who was age 26 at the time, single, and apparently in good health --- he said he was with his girlfriend and when his article was made public he was in his 90s --- was not in the military himself, especially being it was at the height of the draft. Nowhere does he claim any military or service connected affliation in what he writes. It could be he was actually in a more official capacity than he was willing to say.

As found in The Wanderling And His High School Chums, just as I started high school I returned to living in Redondo Beach after having been gone all of my elementary school years --- albeit living as close as Hermosa Beach for awhile during the second or third grade. No sooner had I entered the ninth grade than I found a part-time job running errands several days a week for a house-bound former merchant marine who lived around the corner and up the street from my house. The ship he was on during World War II was torpedoed by German U-boats off the coast of Florida just at the beginning of the war. He was severely burned when he was forced to jump overboard into oil burning along the surface of the water. Over the two-year period or so I worked for him we became friends. One day returning from my errands my Merchant Marine Friend introduced me to a man who was visiting him as they were discussing various aspects of submarine warfare. One of the topics that came up was the two-man sub that ended up on the beach next to the pier in Redondo. When I interjected that my father had lifted me up to see inside the sub the man got all excited and went on and on about it. If that man was Max Harris or not I do not know. He was however, the only person I knew that ever talked about it much.[6]

Contents

Clearing San Francisco, California, 6 August 1944, Current sailed on towing duty to Ulithi, arriving 14 October. She carried out local towing and salvage operations from this port until 19 May 1945. Among her most important repair operations were the emergency salvage work performed on Houston (CL-81) and Canberra (CA-70) from 19 October to 14 December 1944, and the valiant fire fighting on Randolph (CV-15) 11 March 1945.

Okinawa operations [ edit ]

After replenishing in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, Current arrived off Okinawa 2 June 1945 for salvage operations aiding the many ships damaged by Japanese air attack, and those sailing in the U.S. 3rd Fleet and the U.S. 5th Fleet raids on the Japanese homeland. She served ships of the occupation forces at Okinawa until 5 January 1946 when she sailed by way of Sasebo, Japan to San Francisco, arriving 27 February.

By Jon Hoppe

Monday last marked the 74th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Much indeed has been written about the attack, which killed 2,403 US servicemen died, as did 64 of the Japanese attackers and 35 civilians. One particular area of interest has been the operations of the Japanese midget submarines during the attacks. For several decades after the attack, many mysteries surrounded the efficacy and fate of the two-man submersibles. With 9/10 of their crews having perished in the attack, one man (and his vessel) being captured, very little could be found to piece together just what had happened to the others. But slowly, over the succeeding years, the missing submarines were found, the last as late at 2009.

In the following extract from December 1974’s issue of Proceedings, LCDR A. J. Stewart Relates how one of the midget submarines, Type A Kō-hyōteki-class submarine No. 18 –also known as “Midget D” — was found and raised nearly twenty years after the attack.

Divers from the USS Current (ARS-22), prepare to enter the water for salvage operations on HA. 18 July, 1960. USNI Archives.

“On 13 June 1960, Scuba diver trainees, under instruction from U.S. Naval Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, were involved in a long-distance diving exercise outside Keehi Lagoon, near the entrance to the harbor. Because of tidal action, the water is generally murky. But on that Monday morning, the water was clear. Instructor GM/ 2 Jerry Galloway, decided to take his students into deeper water. Minutes after the training had commenced, one of the divers, SK/1 C. F. Buhl, surfaced. He claimed to have sighted what appeared to be the sunken hull of a submarine. In subsequent dives, Buhl and Galloway confirmed that the hulk was indeed that of a submarine—one resembling those used by the Japanese in the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was sitting upright in 76 feet of water at Latitude 21° 17′ 48” North, Longitude 157° 56′ West.

“Midget ‘D’ [HA. 18] had been located. Her torpedoes were still in their tubes, her hatch was unclogged and, although her hull was encrusted with coral, she appeared to be structurally sound and a determination was made to raise her. The USS Current (ARS-22) was assigned the salvage task. Bridles were slipped around the submerged hull on the morning of 13 July 1960, and on the following day the Current raised Midget ‘D’ to the surface and towed her back to the base.

USS YD-121 hoists the submarine HA. 18 alongside USS Current (ARS-22). Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, July 14, 1960. USNI Archives.

“There followed the first, dramatic entry into the submarine as Captain H. A. Thompson, of the ComSubPac staff pried open the conning rower hatch and climbed down into the submarine. In the dark, muddy interior, bent piping, a door twisted off its hinges, her large electric motor torn from its mountings, and much shattered glass gave mute evidence that Midget ‘D’ had suffered great damage from depth charges. However, no trace of documents or crew was found. No bone fragments or teeth were found. Experts agree that even if human remains had disintegrated over two decades, the victim’s teeth would have resisted the water’s corrosive effects. Second, a study of the small lengths of time fuse found, along with three detonators, indicated that inasmuch as sulfur was still present in the fuse, the scuttling charge had never been activated.

Two salvagers work around the open conning tower hatch of HA. 18 shortly after her recovery. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, July, 1960. USNI Archives.

“Fragments of plastic charge totaling 50 pounds, still stable, were taken from the hull. More dangerous were her two torpedoes, each containing 790 pounds of explosive. All efforts to remove them from their tubes failed, owing to corrosion. It was decided that the bow section should be unbolted from the remainder of the hull and dumped at sea. This proved an easy task as the bolts turned freely even after 7,000 days in salt water.

HA. 18 sitting dockside after her recovery, her bow section not having yet been removed. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, July, 1960. USNI Archives.

“Masayaki Harigai, Japanese consul general in Hawaii, indicated that his government would like to have Midget ‘D’ returned to its homeland as a World War II memorial. His request was granted and arrangements for her transfer were completed. The Japanese LST, Shiretoko, arrived at Pearl Harbor on 19 June 1961 to claim her cargo. Crewmen chained the submarine co the LST’s deck for the long ride back to Japan. Thus, bowless, Midget ‘D’ began her 3,500-mile journey home.

“A new bow was fabricated and attached to Midget ‘D’. She was then placed on permanent display near Memorial Hall at the Maritime Self-Defense Force Service School at Eta Jima where the ten young officers of the Special Attack Unit received their early military training. In a memorial service attended by family members of the crewmen who vainly died in craft of this type, Midget ‘D’ was unveiled on 15 March 1962.

“But what of her crewmen? As previously stated, the conning rower hatch of Midget ‘D’ was unclogged, an action that had to be accomplished from inside the boat. Little doubt exists that her two-man crew left the submarine. Whether or not they survived remains a mystery.'”

USS Ross (DD-563) was a U.S. Navy Fletcher class destroyer named for Captain David Ross, a former Continental Navy lieutenant. The Ross is the only ship in U.S. naval history to survive two underwater mine explosions.

USS Amesbury (DE-66/APD-46), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Lieutenant (jg) Stanton Morgan Amesbury (1916�), who was killed in action while flying from the aircraft carrier Ranger  (CV-4) during Operation Torch in 1942.

USS Hopping (DE-155) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947. In 1944, she was converted to a Charles Lawrence-class high speed transport and redesignated "APD-51". She was sold for scrap in 1966.

USS Cormorant (AM-40) was an Lapwing-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

USS Cable (ARS-19) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean theater of the war. Because of the bravery of her crew in dangerous combat areas, she returned home after the war's end with three battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation.

USS Kewaydin (AT-24) was an Bagaduce-class fleet tug laid down for the U.S. Navy in the closing days of World War I and continued in operation throughout World War II.

USS Diver (ARS-5) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for coming to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Escape (ARS-6) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for coming to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Grapple (ARS-7) is a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1977. In 1977, she was sold to Taiwan and was renamed ROCS Da Hu (ARS-552).

USS Preserver (ARS-8) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for coming to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Shackle (ARS-9) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for coming to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Chain (ARS-20/T-AGOR-17) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Current (ARS-22) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Grasp (ARS-24) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Clamp (ARS-33) was an Diver-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Gear (ARS-34) was a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Hoist (ARS-40) was a Bolster-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the United States Navy during World War II. Its task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Opportune (ARS-41) was a Bolster-class rescue and salvage ship acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels.

USS Recovery (ARS-43) was a Bolster-class rescue and salvage ship of the United States Navy, which remained in commission for over 48 years.

USS Arapaho (AT-68/ATF-68) was a Navajo-class fleet ocean tug which served the U.S. Navy during World War II with her towing services. She was assigned initially to support the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and was eventually assigned to support Allied forces in the war zones of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in her crew returning home after the war with four battle stars to their credit.

USS Current

Figure 1: USS Current (ARS-22) underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 2: USS Current (ARS-22) underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 3: USS Current (ARS-22) underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 5: USS Current (ARS-22) during salvage operations of a Japanese World War II era midget submarine at Keehi Lagoon just outside Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 6 July 1960. This submarine has been designated by the Navy as "Midget D." It was launched from its mother submarine I-18 at 0215 on the morning of 7 December 1941. Photograph courtesy of Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 6: Aft view of USS Current (ARS-22) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, 28 March 1946. Current was being overhauled at Mare Island from 1 to 31 March 1946. Forward of her from left to right are: USS Lipan (ATF-85) , USS Deliver (ARS-23) , and USS Preserver (ARS-8) . Mare Island Navy Yard photograph No. 1241-46. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 7: Amidships view of USS Current (ARS-22) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, 28 March 1946. The sterns of USS Deliver (ARS-23) and USS Preserver (ARS-8) are seen forward of Current . Mare Island Navy Yard photograph No. 1242-46. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 8: USS Current (ARS-22) and USS Abnaki (ATF-96) underway off the Hawaiian Islands, 22 November 1953. US Navy photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

The 1,530-ton USS Current (ARS-22) was a Diver class rescue and salvage ship that was built by the Basalt Rock Company at Napa, California, and was commissioned on 14 June 1944. The ship was approximately 213 feet long and 39 feet wide, had a top speed of 15 knots, and had a crew of 120 officers and men. Current was armed with one 3-inch gun, two twin 40-mm guns, and four .50-caliber machine guns.

Current eventually left Ulithi and, after making a brief stop at Leyte in the Philippines, steamed on to provide assistance to the warships involved with the amphibious invasion of Okinawa. Current arrived off Okinawa on 2 June 1945 and began salvage operations on many of the ships that were damaged by Japanese air attacks. Current remained at Okinawa even after the war ended and stayed there until 5 January 1946, when she was ordered to return to the United States. After stopping at Sasebo, Japan, for fuel and provisions, Current started her long journey back to the United States, arriving at San Francisco on 27 February.

During her next Far Eastern deployment in 1954 and 1955, Current was attached to the Taiwan Patrol, which included visits to Japanese ports. Current also participated in the “Passage to Freedom” evacuation of refugees from North Vietnam. Operation Passage to Freedom was the term used by the United States Navy to describe its transportation from 1954 to 1955 of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers, and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam. The French military transported an additional 500,000 people.

In 1957, Current was sent to the western Pacific and participated in a mine-recovery training exercise around the Marianas Islands. She also surveyed and blasted a channel in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and salvaged aircraft and ships off the coast of Japan. After returning to Pearl Harbor and working there for a few months, Current was sent back to the Far East to patrol with destroyers off Japan and to conduct operations with the Seventh Fleet in the Taiwan Straits from October 1957 to February 1958.

Watch the video: Current 2021 PSL vs Early FPK Rifle Review The Romanian Dragunov In Detail (June 2022).

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