Japanese Couldn't Believe One "Tiny" Destroyer Annihilated 6 Submarines in 12 Days — Shocked Navy

Video Description

Why Lieutenant Commander Pendleton trusted a weapon no one else believed in during WW2 — and sank 6 Japanese submarines in just 12 days. This World War 2 story reveals how one destroyer escort proved forward-throwing mortars could change submarine warfare forever. May 19, 1944. Lieutenant Commander Walton Pendleton, commanding officer of USS England, tracked Japanese submarine I-16 north of Bougainville. His Buckley-class destroyer escort carried a British weapon called Hedgehog — twenty-four forward-throwing spigot mortars most captains didn't trust. Every depth charge expert said the old method worked fine. Fleet commanders called Hedgehog unproven. Five percent success rate in trials. They were all wrong. What Pendleton discovered that morning wasn't about explosive power. It was about maintaining sonar contact during the attack in a way that contradicted everything the Navy taught about submarine hunting. By the end of May thirty-first — what the Pacific Fleet would call the greatest submarine killing spree in naval history — seven more destroyer escorts started using Hedgehog the way England had. And Japanese submarines couldn't escape. This technique spread officially through the Pacific Fleet by September 1944, increasing Hedgehog success rates to seventeen percent and sinking forty-seven German U-boats in the Atlantic before appearing as standard destroyer escort doctrine. The forward-throwing anti-submarine principles discovered during England's twelve-day patrol continue to influence modern naval warfare systems today. 🔔 Subscribe for more untold WW2 stories: https://www.youtube.com/@WWII-Records 👍 Like this video if you learned something new 💬 Comment below: What other WW2 tactics should we cover? #worldwar2 #ww2history #ww2 #wwii #ww2records ⚠️ Disclaimer: This is entertainment storytelling based on WW2 events from internet sources. While we aim for engaging narratives, some details may be inaccurate. This is not an academic source. For verified history, consult professional historians and archives. Watch responsibly.