Enemies No More

For several years former enemies corresponded at length about what happened on the fateful afternoon of September 15, 1942. Through extensive research Captain Blee revealed that the Japanese submarine had fired Type 95, Mod I torpedoes capable of running 13,000 yards at 45 knots, and that torpedoes that missed the WASP could have struck BB55. In June 1986, a small delegation of I-19 men and BB55 wartime crew members met for a joint reunion in Wilmington, where they discussed in detail the American and Japanese roles in the action. As a memento Captain Blee presented a framed fragment of the original torpedo, and a plaque in English and Japanese commemorates the friendship between two old enemies.

North Carolina · United States