Drum vs. Mizuho

[MWALLEN]

Hey Lance (or anyone):

I'm trying to verify a statement I've come across on a website.

Here is the website: http://www.mca-marines.org/event/10/5/battle-midway-commemoration

Here is the statement:

Late one night in May, Drum sank the Japanese seaplane carrier Mizuho off the island of Hushu with one torpedo hit.  Mizuho went down with its brood of ten midget submarines. If Drum had not sunk Mizuho, there would have been 10 additional Japanese submarines at Midway instead of four.

What I'm curious about is the statement about the "ten midget subs."

I've check CombinedFleet.com http://www.combinedfleet.com/mizuho.htm which states the Mizuho was assigned to Seaplatendiv 11 which would suggest seaplanes and not midget subs.

There is nothing about the cargo in Blair's SILENT VICTORY or Holmes's UNDERSEA VICTORY.

Padfield (WAR BENEATH THE SEA, p 232) indicates that a converted seaplane - carrier was sailing with the Midway Invasion Fleet carrying eight Type A midget subs.  Morison indicates this was the CHITOSE, but was carrying seaplanes.  Parshall & Tully in SHATTERED SWORD indicate Chiyoda and Nisshin were carrying midget subs.

Can anyone help verify the Mizuho's cargo?

Thanks,

Mark

[Tom Bowser]

I found the histtory of the ship by google search and it stated the she had been converted to carry mini-subs. I don't remeber if itt stated as fact that it was headed for Midway but the date of sinking fits and the crew stated last year they had found something that said that.
Tom

[Lance Dean]

All I had ever read before was she was a seaplane tender.  This is all new to me.

[BrokenArrowtiger]

you had to have a pretty big sub to carry 10 migit subs, and if u let them lose especaiilly around midway with 2 torpedos those things could really do some damange.

[MWALLEN]

Mizuho was a seaplane tender, not a submarine.  but since they sailed with the invasion force, they never made it to Midway.

I've heard two stories that I'm looking into...one is that some of these seaplane tenders were converted to CVL's...the other is that some, like Chitose, were converted to carry midget subs.  Interestingly, another source that escapes me says that Nisshan was carrying torpedo boats to Midway.  The midget subs and torpedo boats were for defense of the island after the invasion.

It all sure does get confusing.

Anyway, I'm still looking into the original question on the Mizuho cargo...thanks for the responses so far.

MWA

[MWALLEN]

Well, I found the answer.  I know you have all be laying awake at night wondering about this.

As I mentioned CHITOSE and NISSHIN were with the Midway invasion fleet.  It was MIZUHO that was to accompany CHITOSE on the trip.  NISSHIN was MIZUHO's replacement due to the DRUM sinking MIZUHO.

Source:  The United States Strategic Bombing Survey: Interrogations of Japanese Officials, Volume 1.  P. 250.

Primary sources are becoming one of favorite things to read.

Mark

[Tom Bowser]

Mark
Well done and thank you for digging that up.    That is valuable info to add to the history of the Drum. Not to bad a job for the first Gato class on its first patrol and its first attack.
Tom