H-002-4 Wake Island Sword

Expand navigation for H-Gram 001 H-Gram 001
- H-001-1 Pearl Harbor
- H-001-2 USS Ward
- H-001-3 Navy Valor at Pearl Harbor
- H-001-4 USS Ward Gun
Expand navigation for H-Gram 002 H-Gram 002
- H-002-1 Zimmerman Telegram
- H-002-2A Wake Island
- H-002-2B VADM Pye's Decision
- H-002-3 Nimitz Diary
- H-002-4 Wake Island Sword
Expand navigation for H-Gram 003 H-Gram 003
- H-003-1 Asheville's Defiance
- H-003-2 Japanese Offensive and Navy Response
- H-003-3 The Valor of the Asiatic Fleet
- H-003-5 Houston Trumpet
- H-003-6 USS Edsall
Expand navigation for H-Gram 004 H-Gram 004
- H-004-1 SMS Cormoran II
- H-004-2 We Are Ready Now, Sir
- H-004-3 Return of the Mayflower
- H-004-4 Doolittle Raid
- H-004-5 Toughness
Expand navigation for H-Gram 005 H-Gram 005
- H-005-1 Shokaku
- H-005-2 Carrier vs. Carrier
- H-005-3 Coral Sea
- H-005-4 Lexington Under Attack
- H-005-5 WWI Initial Combat Operations
Expand navigation for H-Gram 006 H-Gram 006
- H-006-1 Midway Overview
- H-006-2 ISR at Midway
- H-006-3 The Sacrifice
- H-006-4 The Victory
- H-006-5 SBD-2 Dauntless
- H-006-6 SBD-2 Dauntless History
Expand navigation for H-Gram 007 H-Gram 007
- H-007-1 Attack on USS Liberty
Expand navigation for H-Gram 008 H-Gram 008
- H-008-1 World War I 100th
- H-008-2 A Fast Convoy
- H-008-3 Torpedo Versus Torpedo
- H-008-4 Long Lance
- H-008-5 Admiral Ernest J. King
- H-008-6 USS Forrestal Disaster
Expand navigation for H-Gram 009 H-Gram 009
- H-009-1 Defeat at Savo Island
- H-009-2 USS Quincy (CA-39)
- H-009-3 Significant U.S. Navy Operations
Expand navigation for H-Gram 010 H-Gram 010
- H-010-1 Operation Shoestring
- H-010-2 The Battle of the Eastern Solomons
- H-010-3 Torpedo Junction
- H-010-4 Samuel B. Roberts
- H-010-5 Plaque from Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58)
- H-010-6 Attacks on the U.S. Mainland
- H-010-7 Today in Naval History
Expand navigation for H-Gram 011 H-Gram 011
- H-011-1 Guadalcanal: Victory at Cape Esperance
- H-011-2 Forgotten Valor
- H-011-3 Santa Cruz (Japanese Pyrrhic Victory)
- H-011-4 Hornet Under Attack
Expand navigation for H-Gram 012 H-Gram 012
- H-012-1 The Battle of Friday the 13th
- H-012-2 Laffey and Hiei
- H-012-3 USS San Francisco Memorial
- H-012-4 The Battle of Saturday the 14th
Expand navigation for H-Gram 013 H-Gram 013
- H-013-1 The Battle of Tassafaronga
- H-013-2 Survivors of Tassafaronga
- H-013-3 Operation Torch
- H-013-4 Forgotten Valor
- H-013-5 World War I Continued
- H-013-6 Battleship Division Nine
Expand navigation for H-Gram 014 H-Gram 014
- H-014-1 The Seizure of USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
Expand navigation for H-Gram 015 H-Gram 015
- H-015-1 Medal of Honor Citation
- H-015-2 Battle of Rennell Island
- H-015-3 Remember the Maine
Expand navigation for H-Gram 016 H-Gram 016
- H-016-1 USS Bailey
- H-016-2 Aleutians Campaign
- H-016-3 Lost Boarding Party
- H-016-4 USS Cyclops
- H-016-5 USS Oregon's Dash
- H-016-6 USS Oregon
Expand navigation for H-Gram 017 H-Gram 017
- H-017-1: U.S. Navy Operations in Vietnam
- H-017-2: Operation Rolling Thunder Overview
Expand navigation for H-Gram 018 H-Gram 018
- H-018-1 Tanker War
- H-018-2 Yamamoto Shot Down
- H-018-3 USS Tunny
- H-018-4 Dental Valor
- H-018-5 Manila Bay
Expand navigation for H-Gram 019 H-Gram 019
- H-019-1 Swift Boat Disappearance
- H-019-2 LTJG Lasson MOH 1968
- H-019-3 Navy Non-Combat Submarine Losses
- H-019-4 "Black May": Battle of the Atlantic 1943
- H-019-5 "Black Sunday": U-Boats off U.S. East Coast 1918
Expand navigation for H-Gram 020 H-Gram 020
- H-020-1: USS Vincennes Tragedy
- H-020-2: Central Solomons Campaign
- H-020-3: McClelland Barclay
- H-020-4: Submarine AL-2 Versus U-Boat UB-65
- H-020-5: Forgotten Valor
- H-020-6: Victory at Santiago
Expand navigation for H-Gram 021 H-Gram 021
- H-021-1 Fritz X Guided Bomb
- H-021-2 Sicily and Salerno Landings
- H-021-3 Navy in World War I
Expand navigation for H-Gram 022 H-Gram 022
- H-022-1 Influenza Epidemic
- H-022-2 Loss of HMT Rohna
- H-022-3 Operation Leader
- H-022-4 Loss of USS Wahoo
- H-022-5 Battle of Vella Lavella
Expand navigation for H-Gram 023 H-Gram 023
- H-023-1 Navy World War I Contribution
- H-023-2 World War I Navy Medals of Honor
Expand navigation for H-Gram 024 H-Gram 024
- H-024-1 Bougainville and Victory in the Solomons
Expand navigation for H-Gram 025 H-Gram 025
- H-025-1 Operation Galvanic—Tarawa and Makin
- H-025-2 USS Enterprise Fire 1969
- H-025-3 USS Pueblo Crew Release
Expand navigation for H-Gram 026 H-Gram 026
- H-026-1 Kwajalein 1944
- H-026-2 Eniwetok 1944
- H-026-3 Truk Raid 1944
Expand navigation for H-Gram 027 H-Gram 027
- H-027-1 Search for Wasp and Hornet
Expand navigation for H-Gram 028 H-Gram 028
- H-028-1 Vietnam 1969 Navy Medal of Honor Awards
Expand navigation for H-Gram 029 H-Gram 029
- H-029-1 Exercise Tiger
- H-029-2 EC-121 Shootdown
- H-029-3 Cold War Aviation Incidents
- H-029-4 USS Iowa Turret Explosion
- H-029-5 Ordnance Accidents
Expand navigation for H-Gram 030 H-Gram 030
- H-030-1 USS England (DE-635)
- H-030-2 NC-4's Transatlantic Crossing
Expand navigation for H-Gram 031 H-Gram 031
- H-031-1: D-Day—Operation Neptune
Expand navigation for H-Gram 032 H-Gram 032
- H-032-1 Operation Forager and the Battle of Philippine Sea
Expand navigation for H-Gram 033 H-Gram 033
- H-033-1 Yanagi Missions
- H-033-2 "Red" Ramage
- H-033-3 Tinian Landings
- H-033-4 Apollo 11 Mission
- H-033-5 USS Richard Bulkeley Loss
H-Gram Special Edition: Passing of Supreme Court Justice Stevens
H-Gram 034
Expand navigation for H-Gram 035 H-Gram 035
- H-035-1 Flight of the Avenger
- H-035-2 Mediterranean Theater Catch-up
- H-035-3 UC-97 on Lake Michigan
H-Gram 036
H-Gram 037
Expand navigation for H-Gram 038 H-Gram 038
- H-038-1 Leyte Gulf Synopsis
- H-038-2 Leyte Gulf in Detail
Expand navigation for H-Gram 039 H-Gram 039
- H-039-1: U.S. Submarine Successes
- H-039-2: Typhoon Cobra Overview
- H-039-3: Typhoon Cobra Personal Account
- H-039-4: First Kaiten Attack
- H-039-5: Loss of Mount Hood (AE-11)
Expand navigation for H-Gram 040 H-Gram 040
- H-040-1: RADM Theodore E. Chandler
- H-040-2: Leyte, Ormoc Bay, Mindoro
- H-040-3: Lingayen Gulf
Expand navigation for H-Gram 041 H-Gram 041
- H-041-1: Loss of SS Henry Bacon
- H-041-2: USS Barb's MOH Patrol
- H-041-3: USS Blackfin and Shigure
- H-041-4: USS Batfish vs. Japanese Subs
- H-041-5: SS Badger State's Ordeal
- H-041-6: Bathyscaphe Trieste's Deep Dive
Expand navigation for H-Gram 042 H-Gram 042
- H-042-1: Iwo Jima, "Nightmare in Hell"
Expand navigation for H-Gram 043 H-Gram 043
- H-043-1: USS Franklin (CV-13)
- H-043-2: Vietnamization
Expand navigation for H-Gram 044 H-Gram 044
- H-044-1: Background to Okinawa
- H-044-2: Naval Battle of Okinawa, Part 1
- H-044-3: Death of Battleship Yamato
Expand navigation for H-Gram 045 H-Gram 045
- H-045-1: Ordeal of USS Laffey (DD-724)
- H-045-2: Naval Battle of Okinawa, Part 2
- H-045-3: 50th Anniversary of Apollo 13 Mission
Expand navigation for H-Gram 046 H-Gram 046
- H-046-1: Kamikaze Attack on USS Aaron Ward
- H-046-2: Kikusui No. 5
- H-046-3: Fight of USS Hugh W. Hadley
Expand navigation for H-Gram 047 H-Gram 047
- H-047-1: Operation Teardrop
Expand navigation for H-Gram 048 H-Gram 048
- H-048-1: Kamikaze Attacks on U.S. Flagships
- H-048-2: Naval Battle of Okinawa (Continued)
Expand navigation for H-Gram 049 H-Gram 049
- H-049-1: Victory at Okinawa
- H-049-2: LCDR George Street's Medal of Honor
Expand navigation for H-Gram 050 H-Gram 050
- H-050-1: Korean War Naval Action
Expand navigation for H-Gram 051 H-Gram 051
- H-051-1: The Last Sacrifices
Expand navigation for H-Gram 052 H-Gram 052
- H-052-1: The U.S. Navy and the Atomic Bomb
- H-052-2: Desert Shield
Expand navigation for H-Gram 053 H-Gram 053
- H-053-1: The End of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- H-053-2: The Surrender of Japan
- H-053-3: Operation Desert Shield, September 1990
Expand navigation for H-Gram 054 H-Gram 054
- H-054-1: Inchon Landing and Naval Action in the Korean War, September-October 1950
- H-054-2: Operation Desert Shield, October 1990
Expand navigation for H-Gram 055 H-Gram 055
- H-055-1: Wonsan: October─November 1950
- H-055-2: Operation Desert Shield, November 1990
- H-055-: Attack on USS Cole (DDG-67) – October 2000
Expand navigation for H-Gram 056 H-Gram 056
- H-056-1: Korea, November-December 1950
- H-056-2: Operation Desert Shield, December 1990-January 1991
Expand navigation for H-Gram 057 H-Gram 057
- H-057-1: Operations Downfall and Ketsugo – November 1945
- H-057-2: Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night
- H-057-3: The Saga of the Saginaw Gig
- H-057-4: The Disappearance of Flight 19
Expand navigation for H-Gram 058 H-Gram 058
- H-058-1: Operation Desert Storm in January 1991
- H-058-2: Korean War - Communist China Offensive
Expand navigation for H-Gram 059 H-Gram 059
- H-059-1: Operation Desert Storm in Feb-Mar 1991
- H-059-2: 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War
Expand navigation for H-Gram 060 H-Gram 060
- H-060-2 Lost With All Hands
- H-060-3 The Search for USS Johnston
- H-060-1 USS Conestoga Vanishes
Expand navigation for H-Gram 061 H-Gram 061
- H-061-1 Korea: U.S. Navy Operations, March-July 1951
- H-061-2 Desert Storm, March-June 1991
- H-061-3 Desert Storm: Sealift, Seabees, Navy Medicine
Expand navigation for H-Gram 062 H-Gram 062
- H-062-1: "Battles You've Never Heard Of"
Expand navigation for H-Gram 063 H-Gram 063
- H-063-1: Battle of the Pearl River Forts
- H-063-2: The Battle of Somatti, Fiji
- H-063-3: The Battle of Shimonoseki Strait
- H-063-4: Formosa Expedition
- H-063-5: Battle of Ganghwa
Expand navigation for H-Gram 064 H-Gram 064
- H-064-1: Close Quarters Antisubmarine Warfare (Part 1)
- H-064-2: Close Quarters Antisubmarine Warfare (Part 2)
- H-064-3: Close Quarters Antisubmarine Warfare (Part 3)
Expand navigation for H-Gram 066 H-Gram 066
- H-066-1: The Naval Historical Center
Expand navigation for H-Gram 067 H-Gram 067
- H-067-1: USS Edsall's Last Stand
Expand navigation for H-Gram 068 H-Gram 068
- H-068-1: Captain Alfred Rooks
- H-068-2: AMM1c Bruno Gaido
Expand navigation for H-Gram 069 H-Gram 069
- H-069-1: "The Covered Wagon”: USS Langley (CV-1)
Expand navigation for H-Gram 070 H-Gram 070
- H-070-1: The Vietnam War Easter Offensive, Part 1
Expand navigation for H-Gram 071 H-Gram 071
- H-071-1: Loss of USS Hobson
- H-071-2: U.S. Navy Surface Ship Accidents Since World War II
- H-071-3: The Sacrifices of USS Neosho and USS Sims
Expand navigation for H-Gram 072 H-Gram 072
- H-072-1: VT-8 at Midway
H-Gram 073
Expand navigation for H-Gram 074 H-Gram 074
- H-074-1: The Vietnam War Easter Offensive, Part 2
Expand navigation for H-Gram 075 H-Gram 075
- H-075-1: U.S. Navy vs. Soviets Overwater Dogfight
- H-075-2: Short History of U.S. Navy Accidents and Non-Combat Losses
H-Gram 076
H-Gram 077
Expand navigation for H-Gram 078 H-Gram 078
- H-0178-1 The Revolt of the Admirals
- H-0178-2 Ship Renaming
H-Gram 079
H-Gram 080
Expand navigation for H-Gram 081 H-Gram 081
- H-081-1: CDR Hugh W. Hadley and Steward’s Mate First Class Charles J. French
- H-081-2: Kikusui No. 6, 11 May 1945
Expand navigation for H-Gram 082 H-Gram 082
- H-082-1: "Doc" of YMS-365
Expand navigation for H-Gram 083 H-Gram 083
- H-083-1: "Hit 'em Harder!"

Tags

Related Content

Topic

Document Type

Artifact
Historical Summary

Wars & Conflicts

World War II 1939-1945

Navy Communities

File Formats

Image (gif, jpg, tiff)

Location of Archival Materials

NHHC

Author Name

Place of Event

Recipient Name

H-002-4: Wake Island Sword

H-Gram 002, Attachment 4
Samuel J. Cox, Director NHHC
29 December 2016

Color photo of katana (Samurai sword)

This 500-year old katana (Samurai sword) was recently donated to the National Museum of the United States Navy by the family of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy. The Leahy family generously donated not only FADM Leahy's collection of historic swords, but also all of his military and diplomatic awards, honors, tributes and medals, plus other artifacts that define his remarkable career as a Naval officer, territorial Governor, Ambassador and Presidential advisor to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. This sword was surrendered by Company Commander Tetsu Matsudaira on Wake Island at the end of WWII on 4 September 1945 and was subsequently presented to FADM Leahy by RADM W.K. Harrill. We do not know the exact history of the sword, but it represents a very dark period in history. The commander of the Japanese invasion force (first and second assault), RADM Sadamichi Kajioka, impressed by the bravery and effectiveness of the resistance, ordered a halt to the execution of the approximately 1600 Marines, Navy and civilian personnel who surrendered at Wake Island. During the next years, some prisoners were beheaded for various infractions or died of other causes, but most were eventually shipped to prison camps and forced labor in Japan and China. However, in October 1943, in anticipation of an imminent U.S. assault (which didn't happen) the Japanese garrison commander, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara, ordered the execution of the 98 U.S. civilian workers who had been kept on the island for forced labor. The execution was carried out by machine gun. However one prisoner (whose identity was never known) escaped and carved into a rock "98 US PW 5-10-43" before being recaptured three weeks later and personally beheaded by RADM Sakaibara with a sword such as this. Although the Japanese attempted to blame the U.S. deaths on U.S. bombing, RADM Sakaibara was subsequently tried, convicted, and hanged for war crimes. The rock and inscription still exist as a monument on Wake Island.

Published: Tue May 07 17:12:42 EDT 2019

No Fear Act |
Site Map |
This is an official U.S. Navy web site