KAITEN

In November 1944, the U.S. Navy fleet lay at anchor in Ulithi Harbor, deep in the Pacific Ocean, when the oiler USS Mississinewa erupted in a ball of flames. Japan’s secret weapon, the Kaiten—a manned suicide submarine—had succeeded in its first mission. The Kaiten was so secret that even Japanese naval commanders didn’t know of its existence.

Embarrassed by the shocking surprise attack, the U.S. Navy refused to salvage or inspect the sunken Mighty Miss. Only decades later would the survivors understand what really happened at Ulithi, when a diving team located the wreck in 2001. In Kaiten, Michael Mair and Joy Waldron reveal the full story of the attack with gripping accounts from both sides. U.S. Navy survivors recount their experiences in the wake of the attack, as well as the harrowing recovery efforts that came later, while Japanese pilots reveal their terrifying experiences training to die for their country and their Emperor, never knowing when their moment of doom would come.

Michael Mair is the son of a USS Mississinewa survivor and a historian. He has appeared on the History Channel programs Deep Sea Detectives and Secret Weapons, served as a consultant for the Canadian television program Sea Hunters, and contributed to Naval History magazine.

Joy Waldron is the coauthor of The USS Arizona: The Ship, the Men, the Pearl Harbor Attack, and the Symbol that Aroused America.