The Hawaii Army National Guard on Wednesday unveiled a memorial to honor the Hawaii-born soldiers who were on the U.S. Army Transport Royal T. Frank when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on Jan. 28, 1942, in waters off North Kohala.

Family members of those soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment, were in attendance at the Keaukaha Military Reservation in Hilo to observe the unveiling of the memorial.

According to an account in the National Archives, the Royal T. Frank’s final voyage occurred in a particularly tense time period in Hawaii. Japanese submarines were active in Hawaiian waters and had already sunk three ships.

A submarine had also surfaced to shell Maui’s Kahului Harbor, and others had fired at Hilo and Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai. As a precaution, on its final voyage, the Royal T. Frank was part of a three-ship convoy that included a Navy destroyer.

Aboard the Frank were 26 soldiers from Hawaii Island who had just completed boot camp at Schofield Barracks on Oahu.

According to declassified government documents, a Japanese submarine fired on the transport just after 7 o’clock on the morning of Jan. 28, 1942, an estimated 30 miles north of Upolu Point in the Alenuihaha Channel. Two earlier torpedoes had missed.

An official account given by one of the ship’s officers and published in mainland newspapers (which were not subject to Hawaii’s martial law), states that the third torpedo had moved deceptively slowly prior to impact.

“I saw a torpedo coming straight at us. It veered as it approached. It appeared to be moving very slowly and seemed to be running down. It struck opposite the starboard boiler. There was a terrific explosion. As soon as I had seen the wake (of the torpedo), I ran forward shouting ‘torpedo!’” said the unnamed officer in an official account released by U.S. Army authorities and reported by the New York Times on Feb. 11, 1942.

Those below deck were killed by the initial explosion. Above deck, shrapnel killed the ship’s captain and others, and the vessel sank in less than a minute.

According to the National Archives account, of the 60 people aboard the Frank, only 36 survived. Survivors of the explosion included nine of the Hawaii Island soldiers who had been above deck and 27 crew members. Some were thrown into the water, and others jumped in afterwards.

Covered in oil, the survivors spent hours in the ocean, many clinging to whatever debris they could, before they were picked up by the ammunition barge that had been the actual target of the Japanese submarine.

The nine Hawaii Island soldiers, all privates, who survived the attack were George Taketa, Yoshio Ogomori, John R. Souza, Takimaru Takamoto, Shizuo Toma, Shigeru Ushijima, Haruo Yarnashita, Susuma Yoshioka and Tsutomu “Mac” Wakimoto. They would become known as the “Torpedo Gang.”

Fourteen Hawaii Island soldiers and three from Oahu were killed in the attack. All were privates.

The 14 Hawaii Island men were: lwao Nakamura, Yoshito Nii, Larry M. Oku, Reginald M. Osato, John Perreira, John S. Rodrigues, Raymond H. Shirakawa, Yeishun A. Soken, Bushichi Tani, Pemal C. Torrijos, Alfred Veriato, Torao Yamamizu, Albert H. Yano and Yonezo Yonemura.

The three Oahu men were Shoii Okido, Shinichi Shigi and Hook Y. Young.

A Hawaii-based chef was among those killed in a crash involving a private jet chartered by a Houston-based personal injury law firm in Bangor, Maine.

Nick Mastrascusa was aboard the Bombardier Challenger 600 that flipped over and burst into flames Sunday evening while attempting to take off from Bangor International Airport amid a major winter storm, according to a GoFundMe established by his family. The jet, registered to law firm Arnold & Itkin LLP, had stopped in Bangor to refuel after departing Houston and was bound for Paris, France.

Mastrascusa is one of four victims who have been publicly identified. Previously identified were Tara Arnold, a 46-year-old Houston attorney and wife of Arnold & Itkin co-founder Kurt Arnold; Jacob Hosmer, 47, a Houston-area pilot; and Shawna Collins, a Texas-based event planner. Four passengers and two crew members were reportedly on board.

“Nick touched the lives of so many in our community through his kindness, dedication, generosity and friendship,” the GoFundMe reads. “As we grieve this unimaginable loss, our hearts are with the Mastrascusa family and all who knew and loved Nick.”

Investigators say the jet crashed under unknown circumstances shortly after takeoff Sunday night amid snowy, icy conditions from an approaching winter storm, coming to rest upside down and catching fire. The National Transportation Safety Board is examining whether ice buildup contributed; the law firm said none of its partners were aboard and has not identified all passengers.

Mastrascusa was an award-winning chef and sommelier who worked at luxury hotels, resorts and private clubs, according to his professional biography. Most recently, he served as executive chef and director of food and beverage at Discovery Land’s Kūki‘o Golf and Beach Club in Hawaii, overseeing three restaurants and a wine program.

Previously, Mastrascusa trained at Johnson & Wales University and the Culinary Institute of America, launching his career at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla., before rising to executive banquet chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach.

Mastrascusa is survived by his wife, Natalia, and three children — Analani, Mateo and Noah. As of Tuesday, the fundraiser had raised more than $125,000 to help support the family’s immediate and long-term needs.

Whale experts in Hawai‘i were astounded when they came across a whale placenta floating in the ocean and were able to pull it out of the water to study. 

The team from Pacific Whale Foundation were out on their boat when they saw something strange at the surface. At first, they thought it was debris but when they inched closer, they realised that they had stumbled up on something remarkable. 

The mysterious mass floating in the water was a whale placenta. Coming across a specimen like this is incredibly rare. “This tissue typically sinks quickly after being released from the mother,” says Jens Currie, Pacific Whale Foundation’s chief scientist. 

Although the birth must have been very recent, there was no sign of mother or calf nearby. “It is thought that mothers and calves move away rapidly after birth, likely to avoid any predators that may be attracted by the afterbirth,” says Currie. 

The crew quickly collected the placenta, which included a “large portion of the umbilical cord” and brought it onboard their boat (under permits #27099 and MMHSRP #24359) to take it back to the lab for scientists to study.

“The placenta weighed approximately 300 pounds [136 kg], making it one of the very few occasions in which a fully intact whale placenta has been measured and weighed,” he says.

The opportunity to study a specimen like this doesn’t come around often so the researchers are excited for the rare opportunity to process the sample and collect important data. “Whale placentas represent an extraordinary biological archive, offering rare insight into maternal health and the conditions experienced by a developing calf,” says Currie. 

“This rare opportunity allows scientists to explore whale placental tissue in unprecedented detail, improving our understanding of reproduction and foetal development, and offering insight into environmental stressors that may affect whale populations later in life,” he adds.

The team is working alongside scientists from University of Hawaii’s Health and Strandings Lab and Griffith University to study the placenta. The experts were careful to take only what they needed.

“Approximately one percent of the tissue was carefully subsampled,” says Currie. “The majority of the placenta has been retained intact and will ultimately be returned to the ocean, following both cultural and scientific protocols.”

Their analysis includes taking measurements, photos and samples to see if the tissue contains contaminants, such as microplastics, mercury and ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS). 

“Placental tissue offers a unique opportunity to better understand how these substances are distributed within the body and the extent to which developing calves may be exposed to contaminants before birth,” says Currie. 

This finding isn’t just important for scientists. Taking a sample like this is a “sacred moment” in Hawaiian culture, so the team is careful to disturb the remains as little as possible. “We have a cultural advisor on staff and also work with a broader group of Indigenous cultural practitioners, Kiaʻi Kanaloa, who provide guidance and oversight,” explains Currie. “Any work involving bio-cultural materials is approached with care, restraint and respect.” 

In line with Hawaiian culture, the whale’s i’o (flesh) will be respectfully returned to the sea at the spot it was found, says Currie: “Kiaʻi Kanaloa has provided the cultural protocol for returning the placenta to the sea, including the development of a ceremony for us to carry out that includes [the ceremonial prayers] Pule Mihi [and] Pule ʻAwa, and [the traditional practice of offering gratitude called] hoʻokupu.” 

Top image: Hawai’i. Credit: Getty

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