Brian and All:

I think my query was misunderstood. I am looking for the source of the speculation regarding the Pompano sinking as opposed to the traditional sunk-by-a-mine theory. Where are these "Japanese war records" available?

I have studied all seven war patrols of Pompano and compared them (especially dates) with hundreds of love letters written by my mother's husband, Fred Kirschbaum, on board for all seven patrols. I have also carefully looked at official accounts and compared them with known facts from Fred's letters. Sometimes there are discrepancies; for example, most Navy historical reports state that Pompano left Mare Island on 19 December 1942, after refit and overhaul when many photos were taken, and headed back to Honolulu. This is not accurate as Cmdr Thomas made sure that his men spent Christmas with their families by staging cursory drills in the Bay, a fact not generally noted anywhere. Pompano didn't depart until two days after Christmas. This sloppy historical detail led my mother not to believe other aspects of Navy reporting such as the supposed sinking by a mine.

I simply want to see the source material for this other theory, something I haven't seen reported anywhere else. I know that nothing is proven.