It was a balmy morning as the sun rose over the Pacific Island of Ulithi in late 1944. The Reveille rang strongly onboard the docked USS Mississinewa as sailors rushed to their posts, eager to fulfill their duties.
The great American tanker had been filled with oil and aviation fuel. It was prepared to embark on another mission to supply the war efforts against Japan in the Pacific.
With just a few months of service under her belt, Mississinewa promised a long and fruitful career. But as the sun peeked over the horizon, the ship and her crew had an abrupt encounter with destiny.
A massive explosion suddenly tore the tanker’s hull in half, and the sailors didn’t have a second to react before the flames reached the fuel tanks. An earth-shattering chain of detonations shook the ocean, lifting a series of terrifying water columns.
In just a few minutes, USS Mississinewa was swallowed by the sea…
Meanwhile, there was cause for celebration inside a Japanese submarine nearby. The crew heard the explosions and knew their torpedoes had struck true. They had also proved that their secret new weapon was effective and capable of turning the tide of the war.
It was the Kaiten, a manned suicide projectile steered by a Japanese operator until the moment of impact.
As the submarine crew reported sinking five American ships docked at the same port, the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately expanded the Kaiten program. However, their confidence was misguided…
