Why the Navy Denies Japanese Subs Were Sunk Off the Oregon Coast

There are several accounts of Japanese subs detected and sunk off the Oregon Coast during World War II. None are officially accepted as real by the Navy! Here's why:

An Army Air Force pilot insists he bombed and sunk a Japanese sub off the coast of Oregon, but no proof was offered, so the Army kept no record of the event.

Fisherman near Cape Kiwanda spread rumors of knowing where the wreck of a submarine is, but the last time a journalist tried to pinpoint the location, everyone spoken to had only heard the rumor from someone else. No primary sources could be found.

Some old-timers in Newport say there's a German U-boat in Yaquina Bay, but again, it has never been found.

L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, claims he sunk two submarines off Cape Lookout, and dozens of people saw it happen, but the Navy denied it (possibly to suppress fear of Japanese haunting our coastline). The official response is he likely shot at a whale since Hubbard was a brand-new captain and made several mistakes as commander of the ship.

Several eye-witnesses insist at least one sub was sunk and efforts continue to this day to photograph the ocean floor for evidence.

It's not crazy since a Japanese sub attacked Fort Stevens near the mouth of the Columbia River in 1942. The fort commander ordered lights out, so the sub had no idea what it was shooting at, and no real damage occurred, but it scared everyone and was the only attack on the continental U.S. during the war!