MYSTERY IMAGE: SUBMARINE

(Source of picture: Florida State Archives)

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This may be rather odd:  This is a photo of a Japanese submarine, and it was snapped by local photographer Jack Spottswood in 1936 -- five years before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  What was the occasion for the taking of the picture?  The Florida State Archives simply identifies the photo with Jacksonville.  Did Spottswood snap the picture during a trip?  Or did he obtain it in some other manner?  At the Florida Archives, a few Spottswood photos do appear to have been taken in places other than Jacksonville.

In any case, look how cramped the submarine was!  The object in the foreground, of course, is someone's body.  On German subs, some of the sailors were glad when they fired a torpedo because that left more living room.

During World War II, Japan didn't rely much on sub warfare.  Its submarines had not performed well at Pearl Harbor, and this seems to have further discouraged Japanese naval commanders.  In an interesting contrast, German U-boats sunk many Atlantic ships early in the conflict, and American subs experienced great success against the Japanese merchant fleet across the Pacific.