| Original caption: “Torpedoed Japanese destroyer photographed through periscope of USS Wahoo or USS Nautilus, June 1942.” Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Yamakaze sinking approximately 70 miles (a 110 kilometers) southeast of Yokosuka, Japan. Photographed through the periscope of the US Navy submarine USS Nautilus (SS-168). Her Captain, Lieutenant Commander William H. Brockman Junior (November 18, 1904 – February 1, 1979), recorded the sinking in the ship’s report of her 1st War Patrol: “0854 International Time (INT) Fired first of two torpedoes. First torpedo was seen to be a bull’s eye and flame issued from number two stack and amidships portion raised a few feet, but no other damage was immediately apparent. Fifteen seconds later the second torpedo hit forward and the damage was terrific. She immediately started sinking by the bow and heeled over to starboard. By 0358 INT the destroyer was seen to be sinking fast.” “0905 INT Heard several explosions and destroyer sunk.” The photograph is rotated to heighten the drama of the sinking. At 0854 hours on June 25, 1942, while pinging for an allied submarine, Yamakaze was attacked by USS Nautilus (SS-168) and hit by 2 torpedoes in her starboard side; 1 abaft the bridge the other between the stacks. Yamakaze began to immediately settle by the bow with a list to starboard. The ship broke completely between bridge and her Number 1 funnel and again between the stacks into 3 pieces. The bow section heeled over to port and sank backwards; largest aft section was photographed to remain initially upright but settling fast. Because of the lack of survivors what happened must be re-constructed from the submarine Nautilus’s report and photographs. Yamakaze’s bow had broken off. the Number 1 stack was left in a jumble and the afterpart of the destroyer was clearly starting to go down by the forward. Nautilus was at periscope depth when at 0831 Hours she heard pinging. Turning the scope to the bearing, sighted Yamakaze at 0835 Hours. As the submarine neared, the destroyer was seen to have a white band on the funnel. 19 minutes later, Nautilus was close enough, though the range was not given, to fire 2 torpedoes at track angle 120 degrees starboard, set to a depth of 12 feet (3.6 meters). Both hit Yamakaze at 15-second intervals and clearly shattered the hull. The observation of the torpedo hits on Yamakaze recorded what happened during and just after the torpedo hits. At this time the destroyer appeared whole, nosing down by the bow with a list. But by the time the Nautilus raised its Number 2 periscope to take a picture or 2, the bow had broken at the foremast. This doesn’t even seem to have been noticed at the time. This is what obtained when about 0858 Hours this famous but misleading periscope photograph of Yamakaze’s bow reared up and sinking under the waves was taken. At that time, Yamakaze was in 2 – maybe 3 – pieces and the forepart was going down fast, taking down most of the bridge crew with it. A few were photographed escaping from the bridge. Though on other occasions a severed after section of a Japanese destroyer remained afloat, apparently this time, the damage to Yamakaze’s reserve bouyancy was too great. The remaining section apparently foundered within 5 minutes and its depth charges and boilers exploded at 0905 Hours as it went under. Nautilus surfaced 25 minutes later but nothing was in sight. Though a portion of the crew is known to have abandoned ship, unfortunately the Yamakaze was not missed soon enough for rescue ships to be sent. No distress signal had been transmitted after struck; apparently the electrical system disabled immediately. Destroyer Hakaze searched the area in the days after when Yamakaze failed to report, but it was too late. As a result, not a single officer or rating is known to have survived. The position was approximately 60 miles (a 100 kilometers) southeast of Yokosuka. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Hamanaka Shuichi and all aboard – about 227 Officers and ratings – were lost. Tokyo Personnel notified Comdesdiv 1 the following on August 10: “According to a Reuters-Washington dispatch and a San Francisco broadcast on July 25 and 26, an enemy submarine sank a new type destroyer off Yusham, photographing the sinking through a periscope. It is believed by this office that this destroyer was the Yamakaze. Navy General Staff concurs in this belief. It is requested you inform [Tokyo Personnel about] the casualties as nearly as possible of this ship’s crew. It is expected that the enemy sub took aboard some of them.” At the time, the sinking of the Yamakaze and this photograph was something of a sensation. Released quickly, it was in some ways the United States submariner’s big moment in the press in the early phase of the war, to complement the symbol of the Japanese cruiser Mikuma smoldering from air attack off Midway. As the intelligence decoding reveals, the Japanese ironically found it to be needed confirmation of the date and place of Yamakaze’s fate. Unfortunately for the Japanese, the speculation some prisoners were taken had not occurred: Nautilus had not seen anything when it did surface. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1652.jpg |
| Image Size | 940.17 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2914 x 2315 |
| Photographer | William H. Brockman Junior |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 25, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Yokosuka |
| State or Province | Kanagawa |
| Country | Japan |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-418331 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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