by Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions
“As to the 7.7mm solid shot projectile igniting diesel or NSFO, that is impossible. If you have been following [the Mythbusters television series], they have done much of the tests of this kind of thing and it turns out that in most cases, the chance of such a thing is so small that they give it a complete "BUST". Even with explosives, setting off such non-flammable material as these is not easy, even when they added sparks on purpose to try to enhance the chance. Some materials that would seem to be flammable are not since it is almost impossible for any small flame that is started to spread beyond the initial ignition point (only fumes can burn, not the liquid or solid material itself, unless, like black powder, it has its own oxidizer inside it).” Nathan Okun, letter to the author.
73. Edward Rudnicki, letter to the author.
74. Jim O’Neil, William O’Neil, Nathan Okun, Ralph Norton and Lonnie Gill provided information addressing this question.
75. Information courtesy of Ralph Norton.
Usmm.org/sunk42a.html#anchor331462.
76. Potter, 7.
77. Willmott, et al, 2001, 120.
78. Goldstein, Dillon and Wenger, 1991, 24.
79. Slackman, 165, 167.
80. Ellsberg, 1949, 65–87.
81. Dull, 15.
82. “The Fourteen Part Message.” http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/myths/14_part.html
83. Slackman, 60.
84. Prange, 1981, 554.
85. Goldstein and Dillon, 1991, 44.
86. Prange, 1981, 475.
Chapter 11: The Fifth Midget Submarine: A Cautionary Tale
1. Burlingame, 60.
2. Burlingame, 129–130.
3. Prange, quoted in Warship International, v 46 nr 4, 2009. 316.
4. Willmott, et al, 2001, 57.
5. Commanding Officer, USS St. Louis (CL-49), report to Commander-in-Chief, US Pacific Fleet, dated 25 December 1941, from http://i-16tou.com/stlou/.
6. http://i-16tou.com/stlou/stlou2.html.
7. USS Helm Action Report, 10 December 1941. www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/CinCPac.htm.
8. The Military Channel, 14 November 2009.
9. www.engin.umich.edu/dept/name/facilities/mhl/projects/televised_programs.html.
10. Zimm, et al, 2005.
11. A photograph of a pre-war bombardment near Diamond Head shows shell splinters hitting the water that look remarkably like the splashes in the subject photograph. Burlingame, 148.
12. Zimm, 2001, 24.
13. Aiken, Director, Pearl Harbor History Associates, correspondence with the author.
14. Credits to David Aiken for discovering the oral history evidence.
15. www.combinedfleet.com/Pearl.htm includes an article on the midget submarines which cites Kirby’s theory.
16. www.kickasstorrents.com/pbs-nova-killer-subs-in-pearl-harbor-s37e09-ws-pdtv-xvid-ekolb-t3354799.html.
17. Clarke, 147–8.
18. This is the depth that the Japanese set their Type 91 aerial torpedoes for the attack. No information is available on the depth setting of the Type 97 midget submarine torpedoes, but it is likely to be similar to that used by the aviators. Aiken, 47.
19. Friedman, 1985, 415–8.
20. Aiken, 53.
21. i-16tou.com/stlou/stlou3.html.
22. Burlingame, 225–6.
23. i-16tou.com/stlou/stlou4.html.
24. Slackman, 99–100.
25. Aiken.
26. Commanding Officer, Administrative Office, USS Arizona, to The Chief of the Bureau of Ships. Subject: Material Damage Sustained in Attack on December 7, 1941. BB39/A9/L11-1, January 28, 1942.
27. www.j-aircraft.org/smf/index.php?topic=8601.1050.
28. Taylor claims that in naval jargon torpedo warheads were rounded off to “1000 pounds” and “500 pounds,” and so the entry just represented naval slang. He provides no evidence of this rather remarkable assertion. In 40 years of naval service and researching naval documents in the archives, the author has never encountered a case where torpedo warheads were referred to in increments of 500 pounds.
29. Tom Taylor, posting on the www.j-aircraft.org/smf/index.php?board=5.0 message board.
30. Anthony Lovell, letter to the author.
31. Goldstein and Dillon, 1991, 50.
32. Burlingame, 131.
33. Prange, Goldstein, Dillon, 1993, 280, 282.
Chapter 12: Reassessing the Participants
1. USF-74, March 1941, Section V, “Patrol.”
2. Prange, 1981, 411.
3. “It may be stated that it cannot be assumed that any capital ship or other valuable vessel is safe when at anchor from this type of attack if surrounded by water at a sufficient run to arm the torpedo.” www.ibiblio.org/pha/myths/taranto.html
4. Prange, 1981, 701.
5. Lambert and Polmar, 134.
6. Prange, 1981, 460.
7. Prange, 1981, 654.
8. Prange, 1981, 260.
9. See Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, for an in-depth analysis.
10. Clarke, 119–120.
11. Prange, 1981, 281.
12. Prange, 1981, 263, 285.
13. Willmott, et al, 2001, 63–4.
14. Willmott, et al, 2001, 180.
15. Hone, T.C., correspondence.
16. Agawa, 264.
17. William O’Neil, correspondence.
18. Agawa, 266.
19. Willmott, et al, 2001, 88, 70–1.
20. Prange, 1981, 235.
21. Slackman, 9.
Chapter 13: Summary and Conclusions
1. Prange, 1981, 386.
