Mystery of the lost WWII Japanese mega submarine that could travel around the world 1.5 times before refuelling is solved after scientists locate it off Hawaii
Ted Thornhill
A Japanese submarine that was preparing to attack the Panama Canal during World War Two has been discovered off the coast of Hawaii.
The 400-foot (122-meter) ‘Sen-Toku’ class vessel – among the largest pre-nuclear submarines ever built – was found by chance in August off the southwest coast of Oahu.
It has been missing since 1946 according to scientists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The I-400 and its sister ship, the I-401, which was found off Oahu in 2005, were able to travel one and a half times around the world without refuelling.
It could also hold up to three folding-wing bombers that could be launched minutes after resurfacing, the scientists said.
Sea-ing is believing: The submarine (pictured) was found by the Pisces V deep-diving submersible, while it was looking for other wrecks