Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 7, 1994                   TAG: 9412070143
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HONOLULU                                LENGTH: Short

DID SUB ATTACK PEARL?

A new analysis of pictures taken during the attack on Pearl Harbor indicates a Japanese submarine may have slipped into the harbor and fired at U.S. battleships, a historian said Tuesday.

The sub may still be there, he said.

``This information could alter history and change our interpretation of the attack,'' National Park Service historian Daniel Martinez said on the eve of the attack's 53rd anniversary.

Historians have known for some time that the Japanese Navy used five midget submarines in the attack. But until now, it was believed that none of the five succeeded in attacking any U.S. ships, Martinez said.

Photos taken by the crew of a Japanese torpedo bomber during the attack Dec. 7, 1941, were analyzed at Martinez's request by Autometric Inc., an Alexandria, Va., company that specializes in high-tech photo imagery.

The analysis indicates that the Japanese photos were taken 6 to 8 minutes after the attack started at 7:55 a.m., said Autometric team leader John Rodgaard. ``Our analysis confirms the presence of a submarine,'' Rodgaard said.

The analysis also shows that the Japanese sub probably fired its two torpedoes, one at the USS Oklahoma and the other at the USS West Virginia.