http://ussgrunion.com/blog/2006/07/12/nihon-kaigun-the-imperial-japanese-navy-ijn/ Details and Log reports of the search for the lost WWII Submarine, USS Grunion Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:40:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 http://ussgrunion.com/blog/2006/07/12/nihon-kaigun-the-imperial-japanese-navy-ijn/#comment-27608 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:46:41 +0000 http://ussgrunion.com/blog/2006/07/12/nihon-kaigun-the-imperial-japanese-navy-ijn/#comment-27608 The Japanese battleship HIEI, and the American cruisers ATLANTA and JUNEAU (of the five ill-fated "Sullivan's brothers" renown) are among the famous ships that went down that night. In the years since, each sinking has raised its own set of questions and debates. Those surrounding HIEI concern her condition after the gunfire phase had ended; Namely, was HIEI already a doomed total loss, perhaps foundering already, when hit by air attack off Savo Island the following day? As recently as summer of 1992 a major undersea expedition led by the renowned Dr. Robert Ballard explored many of the celebrated wrecks. However, the mighty HIEI appears to have eluded discovery. In burial site - as in dying - the HIEI wears a tantalizing cloak of ambiguity. This article endeavors to lift that cloak at least in part by presenting and analyzing what the Japanese records reveal when cross-referenced with Allied sources. The Japanese battleship HIEI, and the American cruisers ATLANTA and JUNEAU (of the five ill-fated “Sullivan’s brothers” renown) are among the famous ships that went down that night. In the years since, each sinking has raised its own set of questions and debates. Those surrounding HIEI concern her condition after the gunfire phase had ended; Namely, was HIEI already a doomed total loss, perhaps foundering already, when hit by air attack off Savo Island the following day? As recently as summer of 1992 a major undersea expedition led by the renowned Dr. Robert Ballard explored many of the celebrated wrecks. However, the mighty HIEI appears to have eluded discovery. In burial site - as in dying - the HIEI wears a tantalizing cloak of ambiguity. This article endeavors to lift that cloak at least in part by presenting and analyzing what the Japanese records reveal when cross-referenced with Allied sources.

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