Archerfish vs. Shinano: How One WWII Submarine Sank Japan’s Secret Supercarrier off Honshu

On November 29, 1944, off the coast of Honshu in the Pacific War, the submarine USS Archerfish sank the Japanese supercarrier Shinano, the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine. Shinano was built on a Yamato-class battleship hull in total secrecy, and she sailed unfinished, with watertight doors missing and compartments never tested. Commander Joe Enright, who had once asked to be relieved for being too cautious, chased her through the night and fired six torpedoes at 3:17 a.m. Captain Toshio Abe kept steaming. Dale, a Navy Machinist’s Mate, goes below decks to show how she was really lost.