InsideJapan News Network

Two Japanese Sen-Toku submarines dating back to the second world war have been discovered in the waters off Oahu in Hawaii.

It is believed that the two vessels were sunk by the US Navy in 1946 to try and prevent the highly-advanced technology used to create them from being discovered by the Soviet Union.

Each submarine was built to carry two fighter bombers and could sail one and a half times around the globe without the need to be refuelled.

The crafts are around the size of a football pitch and are two of five that were taken by the Americans at the end of the second world war. One of the vessels, called the I-14, carried 144 crew and is thought to have been designed to launch bombers on kamikaze missions against major US cities.

Japanese Kamikaze pilots took part in suicide attacks against Allied vessels during the war.

One other sub was found back in 2005 but two remain lost.

Written by Mark Smith.