Japanese submarine I-174
History | |
---|---|
Empire of Japan | |
Name | I-74 |
Ordered | 1934 |
Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Sasebo, Japan |
Laid down | 16 October 1934 |
Launched | 28 March 1938 |
Commissioned | 15 August 1938 |
Renamed | I-174 on 20 May 1942 |
Fate | Sunk 12 April 1944 |
Stricken | 10 June 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Kaidai type (KD6B Type) |
Displacement |
|
Length | 105 m (344 ft 6 in) |
Beam | 8.2 m (26 ft 11 in) |
Draft | 4.57 m (15 ft 0 in) |
Installed power |
|
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Range |
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Test depth | 75 m (246 ft) |
Complement | 70 |
Armament |
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I-74, later I-174, was an
Design and description
The submarines of the KD6B sub-class were essentially repeats of the preceding KD6A sub-class. They displaced 1,814 tonnes (1,785 long tons) surfaced and 2,605 tonnes (2,564 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 105 meters (344 ft 6 in) long, had a beam of 8.2 meters (26 ft 11 in) and a draft of 4.57 meters (15 ft 0 in). They had a diving depth of 75 metres (246 ft)[1]
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 4,500-
The submarines were armed with six internal 53.3 cm (21.0 in)
Construction and commissioning
The submarine that would become I-74 was laid down on 16 October 1934 at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal in Sasebo, Japan.[4][5] Launched on 28 March 1937, she was numbered I-74 on 1 June 1938.[4][5] She was completed and commissioned on 15 August 1938.[4][5]
Service history
Pre-World War II
On the day of her commissioning, I-74 was attached to the
On 11 November 1941, the 6th Fleet's commander,
As Japanese military forces began to deploy for the opening Japanese offensive of the war, I-74 departed Saeki Bay on the coast of Kyushu on 11 November 1941 in company with I-75 bound for Kwajalein Atoll, which the two submarines reached on 20 November 1941.[4][5][13] Assigned to support Operation Z, I-74 got underway from Kwajalein on 23 November 1941 with the commander of Submarine Division 11 embarked and set course for the Hawaiian Islands.[4][5] While she was en route, she received the message "Climb Mount Niitaka 1208" (Japanese: Niitakayama nobore 1208) from the Combined Fleet on 2 December 1941, indicating that war with the Allies would commence on 8 December 1941 Japan time, which was on 7 December 1941 on the other side of the International Date Line in Hawaii.[5] She arrived south of Oahu on 4 December 1941.[5]
World War II
First war patrol
When the attack on
I-74 departed the Hawaiian Islands area on 17 December 1941 and made for Kingman Reef in the northern Line Islands to investigate a reported U.S. naval base there.[5] She reconnoitered Kingman Reef from 23 to 25 December 1941,[5] but found no sign of a base. She then proceeded to Kwajalein, which she reached on 31 December 1941.[4][5]
January–April 1942
I-74 and I-75 got underway from Kwajalein on 13 January 1942[4][5][13] and headed north, passing Midway Atoll[5][13] in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on their way to the Aleutian Islands.[4][10] From the Aleutians, the two submarines made their way to Yokosuka, Japan, where they arrived on 19 February 1942.[4][5][13]
Second war patrol
I-74′s stay in Japan ended on 15 April 1942, when she began her second war patrol, departing Kure in company with I-75 to form a patrol line[5] east of Japan.[4] While she was at sea, 16 United States Army Air Forces B-25 Mitchell bombers launched by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) struck targets on Honshu in the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942.[5] In support of the raid, United States Navy F4F Wildcat fighters and SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) attacked Japanese vessels forming a picket line in the North Pacific Ocean in the approaches to Japan.[5] I-74 rescued the crew members of the guard boat Iwate Maru No. 1 — which sank on 19 April 1942 due to damage suffered on 18 April — and transferred them to the light cruiser Kiso on 23 April.[5] I-74 and I-75 concluded their patrol with their arrival at Kwajalein on 10 May 1942.[4][5]
Midway operation
On 20 May 1942, I-74 was renumbered I-174[4][5] and I-75 became I-175.[10][13] The two submarines departed Kwajalein in company that day to participate in Operation MI, the planned Japanese invasion of Midway Atoll.[5][13] Plans called for them first to support a preliminary phase of the Midway operation, Operation K-2, which called for the Japanese submarines I-121 and I-123 to refuel two Kawanishi H8K (Allied reporting name "Emily") flying boats at the French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands so that the two aircraft could conduct a reconnaissance flight over Pearl Harbor,[19] while I-174 patrolled south of Pearl Harbor to rescue the crews of the aircraft if they were shot down.[5] I-174 arrived at her lifeguard station 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) southeast of Oahu on 29 May 1942.[5] The aircraft were scheduled to arrive at the French Frigate Shoals on 30 May 1942 and make their Pearl Harbor flight on 31 May.[20] When I-123 arrived off the French Frigate Shoals on 29 May 1942, however, she found the U.S. Navy seaplane tenders USS Ballard (AVD-10) and USS Thornton (AVD-11) already operating flying boats there.[19][20] She radioed her news of this sighting after she surfaced that night, and the reconnaissance flight was postponed for a day.[19] When I-123 again observed the French Frigate Shoals on 31 May, she found the American ships still there and noted U.S. Navy flying boats landing in the lagoon, and this news resulted in the Japanese concluding that the U.S. Navy was using the atoll as a base.[20] The Japanese decided to cancel the reconnaissance flights entirely.[19][20]
With their supporting mission for the aircraft cancelled, I-174 and I-175 took patrol stations in support of the scheduled invasion of Midway. The Battle of Midway began on 4 June 1942, and it ended on 7 June 1942 in a decisive Japanese defeat. The Japanese cancelled the invasion of Midway. I-174 made no contact with enemy forces during the battle and concluded her patrol with her arrival at Kwajalein on 20 June 1942.[4][5]
Third, fourth, fifth, and sixth war patrols
I-174 set out from Kwajalein on her third war patrol on 9 July 1942, tasked with conducting a reconnaissance of the Port Moresby, New Guinea, area.[4][5] Soon after she departed an oil leak developed, forcing her to abort the patrol and proceed to Rabaul on New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago for repairs.[4][5] She reached Rabaul on 23 July 1942.[4][5]
With her repairs completed during an overnight stay, I-174 got back underway from Rabaul on 24 July 1942 to commence her fourth war patrol, assigned a patrol area off the east coast of Australia in the vicinity of Sydney.[5] She also operated in the Nouméa area.[4] While I-174 was on patrol, the Guadalcanal campaign began with United States Marine Corps landings on Guadalcanal in the southeastern Solomon Islands on 7 August 1942,[5] so I-174 moved to the Solomons in response.[4] The patrol was uneventful, and she returned to Rabaul on 17 August 1942.[5]
I-174 set out from Rabaul on her fifth war patrol with I-175 and the submarine
After repairs,[4] I-174 got underway from Truk in company with I-175 on 16 October 1942[4][5] for her sixth war patrol,[5] ordered to operate in the Indispensable Reefs area south of Rennell Island[4] as part of the B Group, a patrol line which also included I-175 and the submarines I-9, I-15, I-21, and I-24.[5] She again saw no action, and she returned to Truk on 4 November 1942 for further repairs.[4][5]
November 1942–May 1943
I-174 departed Truk on 6 November 1942 bound for Kure, where she arrived on 12 November 1942 to undergo an overhaul.[4][5] During her stay in Japan, Submarine Division 11 was disbanded on 15 March 1943 and she was reassigned that day to Submarine Division 12,[4][5] which also was a part of Submarine Squadron 3.[4] After completion of her overhaul, she got underway from Kure on 5 May 1943 bound for Truk, which she reached on 11 May 1943.[4][5]
Seventh war patrol
At 17:00 on 16 May 1943, I-174 departed Truk for her seventh war patrol, assigned a patrol area off the east coast of Australia.[4][5] She arrived at a point 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) off Sandy Cape — the northernment point of Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia — on 27 May 1943.[5] At 03:20 on 28 May 1943, a Bristol Beaufort of the Royal Australian Air Force′s (RAAF's) No. 32 Squadron detected her on radar at a range of 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km; 5.2 mi) and closed with her.[5] The aircraft's crew sighted her at a range of 600 yards (550 m), but she crash-dived and escaped.[5]
I-174 was 70 nautical miles (130 km; 81 mi) east of
While submerged off Brisbane on 3 June 1943, I-174 sighted a northbound
I-174 was submerged off
At 10:25 on 5 June 1943, I-174 was 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) northeast of Coffs Harbour when she detected the propeller noises of Convoy PG53 at a range of 13,000 yards (11,900 m).[5] Taking advantage of bad weather and poor visibility, she surfaced at 12:55 and closed to only 1,600 yards (1,500 m) behind the convoy's rearmost ships.[5] She attempted to further close the range, but Allied patrol aircraft appeared twice, forcing her to submerge for 20 to 25 minutes each time before surfacing to resume her pursuit of the convoy.[5] At sunset, however, she still was in contact with the convoy and 6,000 meters (6,600 yd) astern of it.[5] By 20:22, she was 5,000 yards (4,600 m) off the convoy's starboard side, and when she reached a position 4,000 yards (3,700 m) off its starboard beam, she began to set up an attack, but a destroyer ahead of the convoy turned toward her and forced her to dive.[5] She resurfaced at 21:45 and again closed for an attack, only to have an escort force her to dive again.[5] When she again surfaced she began a high-speed run to get ahead of the convoy and reach its estimated position at daybreak.[5] Upon reaching this position, she submerged to await the convoy's approach, but when she surfaced at dawn on 6 June 1943 she found herself 21,500 yards (19,700 m) off the convoy's port quarter.[5] Given the long range and the likelihood of encountering Allied patrol aircraft in daylight, she discontinued the pursuit and continued south, arriving off Newcastle, New South Wales, at 19:00.[5]
I-174 was 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) east of Sydney at 04:50 on 7 June 1943 when she sighted the 7,176-gross register ton American Liberty ship SS John Bartram, which was nearing the end of a voyage from San Francisco, California, to Sydney.[5] As John Bertram zigzagged, I-174 closed the range and worked into a position of ahead of her to set up a dawn attack.[5] I-174 fired four torpedoes at 06:06, and John Bertram′s lookouts saw two of them pass half a ship's length ahead of her at 06:10.[5] John Bertram′s crew then heard and felt a heavy underwater explosion, while I-174's crew heard the explosion of two torpedoes.[5] I-174′s commanding officer then observed the undamaged John Bertram through I-174′s periscope and mistakenly thought she was listing.[5] When a third torpedo exploded, I-174′s commanding officer mistook it for a depth charge explosion and ordered I-174 to go deep.[5] I-174′s crew heard John Bertram′s engines stop and believed that they had sunk her, but in fact John Bertram survived the encounter unharmed.[5]
After the attack on John Bertram, I-174 headed east.[5] During the evening of 7 June 1943, she sighted a vessel which dropped two depth charges nearby.[5] She then proceeded to the south.[5] During the evening of 9 June 1943, she reached the southern limit of her assigned operating area in the Tasman Sea.[5] She found no ships until 13 June 1943, when at 14:00 she sighted an Allied convoy of at least six transports escorted by two destroyers 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) east of Wollongong Light, but the convoy was too distant for her to attack and it steamed away to the north.[5] She surfaced at 18:40, but spotted an Allied warship and submerged again.[5]
A Beaufort from Coffs Harbour gained radar contact on I-174 at 22:50 on 14 June 1943, then sighted a large wake she was leaving behind her.[5] The aircraft bombed I-174, but missed, and I-174 crash-dived and remained submerged for 35 minutes.[5] The Beaufort loitered in the area, and made another attack only moments after I-174 resurfaced, the bombs landing close aboard on her port side.[5] I-174 crash-dived again, this time remaining underwater for 25 minutes before returning to the surface.[5]
At 01:00 on 16 June 1943, I-174 arrived off
On 20 June 1943, I-174 received orders to terminate her patrol and return to Truk via a route that took her east of the Solomon Islands.[5] She sighted no other vessels or aircraft during her return voyage, and she reached Truk on 1 July 1943.[4][5]
New Guinea campaign
Assigned to support Japanese forces fighting in the New Guinea campaign by making supply runs between Rabaul and New Guinea, I-174 departed Truk on 9 August 1943 bound for Rabaul, where she arrived on 13 August 1943.[4][5] She began her first supply run with her departure from Rabaul on 31 August 1943,[4] called at Lae, New Guinea, on 2 September 1943, unloaded her cargo, and got back underway the same day to return to Rabaul.[5] Allied aircraft pursued her during the return voyage,[5] but she arrived safely at Rabaul on 4 September 1943.[4]
With the new commanding officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 7th Base Unit,
I-174 began her third New Guinea supply run on 19 September 1943, departing Rabaul bound for Finschhafen.[4] She called at Finschhafen on 21 September, and after unloading her cargo departed the same day for her return to Rabaul.[5] During her return voyage, the Australian Army's 20th Brigade landed at Finschhafen as part of the Huon Peninsula campaign, and I-174 received orders to divert from her voyage to attack Task Force 76, the naval task force supporting the landing.[5] She did not succeed in attacking the task force, and returned to Rabaul on 24 September 1943.[4]
I-174 set out on her fourth and final New Guinea supply run on 29 September 1943, leaving Rabaul to deliver supplies to Sio.[4] The first Japanese submarine to supply Sio,[5] she arrived there on 1 October 1943 and discharged her cargo.[5] She then called at Rabaul from 3 to 11 October 1943[4] before proceeding to Truk, which she reached on 16 October 1943.[4][5]
Eighth war patrol
The U.S. offensive phase of the
On the night of 6 December 1943. I-174 was on the surface charging her batteries 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) east of Tarawa when her lookouts sighted an approaching U.S. destroyer.[5] She crash-dived, and a depth-charge attack followed which knocked out her lights and caused serious leaks in her diesel engine compartment and electric motor compartment.[5] When her battery became depleted and her oxygen supply was almost exhausted, I-174 surfaced to fight it out with the destroyer and managed to escape into a rain squall.[5] She headed for Truk,[5] which she reached on 10 December 1943 to begin repairs.[4]
December 1943–April 1944
After the auxiliary submarine tender Heian Maru transferred torpedoes to her on 20 December 1943,[5] I-174 got underway from Truk on 23 December 1943 bound for Kure, which she reached on 30 December 1943.[4][5] She underwent further repairs at Kure.[4]
Ninth war patrol
With her repairs complete, I-174 got underway from Kure on 3 April 1944[4][5] to begin her ninth war patrol, assigned a patrol area in the Marshall Islands.[5] She transmitted a routine situation report from south of Truk on 10 April 1944.[5] She failed to respond to a message sent to her at 17:46 Japan Standard Time on 11 April 1944,[5] and the Japanese never heard from her again.
Loss
Early on the morning of 12 April 1944, an
On 13 April 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared I-174 to be lost east of Truk with all 107 hands.[4][5] The Japanese struck her from the Navy list on 10 June 1944.[4][5]
References
Footnotes
- ^ Carpenter & Polmar, p. 96
- ^ Chesneau, p. 198
- ^ a b Bagnasco, p. 183
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc I-174 ijnsubsite.com November 24, 2018 Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (12 June 2010). "IJN Submarine I-174: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ I-168 ijnsubsite.com November 16, 2018 Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ I-169 ijnsubsite.com November 16, 2018 Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ I-70 ijnsubsite.com September 16, 2018 Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ I-73 ijnsubsite.com November 5, 2018 Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ a b c I-175 ijnsubsite.com November 25, 2018 Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ Tully, Anthony (19 May 2014). "IJN Seaplane Carrier CHITOSE: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "2012 Fleet Review" (PDF). Japan Defense Focus. December 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (12 June 2010). "IJN Submarine I-175: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Fran, Richard B., "Zero Hour on Niihau, Historynet, October 29, 2010, Accessed 4 May 2022
- ^ a b Cappellino, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Polmar, p. 173.
- ^ Cappellino, p. 4.
- ^ Cappellino, pp. 6–9.
- ^ a b c d Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (1 January 2014). "IJN Submarine I-123: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Midway: The Approach". pacificeagles.com. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ Maritime Administration Point San Pedro Accessed 5 May 2022
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (3 November 2012). "IJN Submarine I-21: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
Bibliography
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Cappellino, Richard J., "Hawaiian Heroes: America′s First Battle of the Pacific War," Society for Military History 2013 Conference, March 15, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- Carpenter, Dorr B. & Polmar, Norman (1986). Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1904–1945. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-396-6.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Hackett, Bob & Kingsepp, Sander (2001). "IJN Submarine I-174: Tabular Record of Movement". Combinedfleet.com.
- Polmar, Norman. Aircraft Carriers A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Volume I 1909–1945. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, Inc., 2006. ISBN 1-57488-664-9.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Stevens, David (1993). "I-174 : The Last Japanese Submarine off Australia". Journal of the Australian War Memorial (22). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. ISSN 0729-6274.