Sadamu Uyeda
| Date and Place of Birth: | 1916 Japan |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
| Baseball Experience: | High School |
| Position: | Unknown |
| Rank: | Warrant Officer |
| Military Unit: | Imperial Navy |
| Area Served: | Pacific |
Sadamu Uyeda was a quiet mountain boy who preferred baseball to books
Sadamu Uyeda (Ueda) was a quiet mountain boy born in Japan in 1916.
He loved baseball and played throughout his high school days.
He joined the navy before the outbreak of World War II and was trained
at Kure Naval Base, spending several months in Maizuru and Yokosuka for
submarine and torpedo training courses. It was during this time that the
young petty officer was selected for a highly secretive mission: a
submarine attack on the US Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor.
On December 7, 1941, five ko-hyoteki (midget submarines), each carrying
two torpedoes, joined the attack on Pearl Harbor. These submarines
carried one commander and one crewman. I-16tou was commanded by Masaji
Yokoyama and crewed by Petty Officer Uyeda. Although there was an
elaborate escape route planned, none of the crews expected to return and
each submarine carried a 300-pound scuttling charge.
While Japanese fighter and torpedo planes startled the US Navy from the
air, the five midget submarines made there approach on the harbor from
various launch points. On the evening of December 7, Yokoyama radioed a
report that the attacks had been carried out successfully, and I-16tou
was given credit for sinking the USS Arizona by Imperial Navy
propagandists. However, I-16tou was never seen again. Of the five midget
submarines launched that day it is the only one that cannot be accounted
for and remains missing to this day.
Sadamu Uyeda was promoted from petty officer, 2nd class to warrant
officer after he was declared missing in action.
Date Added: March 17, 2013
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