Operation Storm: Japan's Top Secret Submarines and Its Plan to Change the Course of World War II (38 page)

In this previously unpublished sequence of images, the
Segundo
faces off against the
I-401
. This photograph was taken from the
Segundo
’s foredeck.
Photographs by Lt. Rodney L. Johnson, formerly of the USS
Segundo

Accurate communication was a problem during the
I-401
’s surrender talks, making an already tense situation even more fraught with danger. Shown here is a page from the notes Lt. Muneo Bando used to negotiate the surrender to the USS
Segundo
.

The
I-401
’s chief navigator, Lt. Muneo Bando, approaches the
Segundo
in a rubber raft to discuss surrender terms.

The
I-401
’s Lieutenant Bando, negotiates surrender terms with Lt. Cdr. Stephen L. Johnson aboard the
Segundo
.

Captain Johnson and Lieutenant Bando confer over a map aboard the
Segundo
. Johnson insisted on escorting the
I-401
to Yokosuka while Bando wanted to divert to Ominato in hope of escape.

The bridge of the
I-400
with the black, triangular flag of surrender flying next to the Rising Sun naval ensign.

The USS
Blue
(DD-744) circles the
I-400
to cut off any possible escape.
U.S. Navy

Cdr. Hiram Cassedy, who insisted on capturing the I-400
“
twice,” stands with hand on holster while eyeing Japanese war booty with obvious interest.
U.S. Navy

The
I-401
(or possibly the
I-14
) arrives in Tokyo Bay under the watchful eyes of the
I-400
’s crew in the waning days of August 1945.
U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy sailed the
I-400
to Pearl Harbor, where she was put into dry dock so her unusual design could be studied in more detail.
Photograph by John M. Johnson GM3, I-400 prize crew member; courtesy of David Johnson

D
ISCOVERY

In March 2005, the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory found the
I-401
near where the U.S. Navy torpedoed her. Ariizumi’s flagship is easily recognizable, including her bridge with a still-open hatch.
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory

Today, the
I-401
’s triple mount antiaircraft gun are clearly visible on the ocean bottom. Lt. Tsugio Yata used these guns to repel American fighters during their March 1945 air attack on Kure Naval Base.
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory