Why the Shinano Has Never Been Found

The Shinano was the largest aircraft carrier ever built, yet it sank on its first voyage before ever launching a plane. Converted from the same battleship design as Yamato and Musashi, Shinano left Yokosuka in November 1944 still unfinished and highly secret. Hours later, the American submarine USS Archerfish found it in the dark and fired six torpedoes. Four hit. By morning, the biggest carrier in the world was gone, and its wreck has never been found. In this video, I look at how Shinano was lost before it reached battle, how one submarine pulled it off, and why the ship is still missing today. Information in this video comes from the following sources: USS Archerfish SS-311 — Naval History and Heritage Command IJN Shinano Tabular Record of Movement — CombinedFleet.com Archerfish I SS-311 — Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships The Sinking of the Imperial Japanese Supercarrier Shinano — Submarine Force Library and Museum Aircraft Carrier Shinano — World War II Database Your Island Is Moving at 20 Knots — U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings NavSource USS Archerfish Patrol Report Archive