Japanese submarine I-16
 I-16 in 1940.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 44 |
| Builder | Mitsubishi Kobe Yard, Kobe, Japan |
| Yard number | 44 |
| Laid down | 15 September 1937 |
| Renamed | I-16 on 1 June 1938 |
| Launched | 8 July 1938 |
| Commissioned | 30 March 1940 |
| Fate | Sunk 19 May 1944 |
| Stricken | 10 October 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type C1 submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 109.3 m (358 ft 7 in) overall |
| Beam | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Crew | 107 |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Fitted to carry 1 × Type A midget submarine |
I-16 was one of five
Design and description
The Type C submarines were derived from the earlier KD6 sub-class of the
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 6,200-
The boats were armed with eight internal bow 53.3 cm (21.0 in)
Construction and commissioning
I-16 was laid down on 15 September 1937 at the Mitsubishi's Kobe Yard in Kobe, Japan, as Submarine No. 44,[4] the first of eight submarines of the C1 subclass. Renamed I-16 on 1 June 1938,[4] she was launched on 8 July 1938 and towed to Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure for completion.[4] She was completed and commissioned on 30 March 1940.[4][5]
Service history
Pre-World War II
Upon completion, I-16 was attached to the Yokosuka Naval District.[4] In the autumn of 1941, she underwent conversion into a mother ship for a Type A midget submarine;[4] The submarines I-18, I-20, I-22, and I-24 also underwent the conversion.[6] By 15 November 1941, I-16 was assigned to Submarine Division 1 in Submarine Squadron 1 in the 6th Fleet.[4]
At the Kure Navy Club in Kure, Japan, on 17 November 1941, the commander of Submarine Division 3 briefed the commanding officers of the five converted submarines on the upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor and on the role of their submarines in it.[4] He had been designated the commander of the Special Attack Unit, made up of all five submarines, each of which was to launch a Type A midget submarine off Pearl Harbor so that the midget submarines could participate in the attack.[4][6] I-22 was to serve as flagship of the Special Attack unit.[4]
On 18 November 1941, the five submarines moved from Kure to the Kamegakubi Naval Proving Ground, where each embarked a Type A midget submarine.[4] At 02:15 on 19 November 1941, the five submarines got underway from Kamegakubi bound for the Hawaiian Islands,[4] taking a direct route that took them south of Midway Atoll.[4] While at sea, they 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.[4]
Pearl Harbor
At 00:42 on 7 December 1941, I-16 became the first of the five submarines to launch her midget submarine, No. 16, 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) south-southwest of the entrance to Pearl Harbor.
December 1941–April 1942
Ordered home to Japan to take part in the testing of access tubes that would allow the members of a midget submarine crew to board their craft while the "mother" submarine remained submerged, I-16 got underway from Kwajalein on 25 December 1941.[4] She arrived at Yokosuka on 3 January 1942 and later moved to Kure to take part in the tests.[4]
During I-16′s stay in Japan, the
During the detachment′s voyage, 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.[4] The detachment received orders from the 6th Fleet that day to divert from its voyage and head northeast, passing north of the Bonin Islands, to intercept the U.S. Navy task force that had launched the strike.[4] The detachment failed to find the U.S. ships and soon resumed its voyage.
I-30 and Aikoku Maru called at Penang from 20 April to 22 April 1942 before heading into the Indian Ocean to conduct an advance reconnaissance of the "A" Detachment′s planned operating area.
Indian Ocean operation
I-16 and the other "A" detachment units got underway from Penang on 30 April 1942, headed westward into the Indian Ocean with I-10 serving as the detachment′s flagship.[4] The submarines refueled at sea from Aikoku Maru and Hōkoku Maru on 5, 10, and 15 May 1942.[4] I-16 suffered a mishap southeast of Madagascar on 17 May 1942 when seawater flooded her port diesel engine in heavy seas, but her crew made repairs.[8]
I-10′s
On 30 May 1942, I-18 could not launch her midget submarine because it suffered engine failure, but I-16 and I-20 launched their midgets 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) off Diego-Suarez,[4][8] I-16 launching hers at 17:40.[4] I-16′s midget was never heard from again,[4] but I-20′s midget torpedoed Ramillies and the tanker British Loyalty, damaging the former and sinking the latter, before it, too, was lost.[8] The body of a Japanese sailor found on 2 June 1942 washed up on a beach near Diego Suarez probably was that of one of the two men aboard I-16′s midget.[4]
After the midget submarine attack, the "A" detachment began anti-shipping operations.[8] I-16 torpedoed and used gunfire to sink the Yugoslavian 3,889-ton merchant ship Susak at 15°42′S 040°58′E / 15.700°S 40.967°E on 6 June 1942[4] and sank the Greek 4,847-ton merchant ship Agios Georgios IV by gunfire at 16°12′S 041°00′E / 16.200°S 41.000°E on 8 June 1942.[8] She also torpedoed and sank the Yugoslavian 3,748-ton merchant ship Supetar at 21°49′S 035°50′E / 21.817°S 35.833°E on 12 June 1942 and the Swedish 5,243-ton merchant ship Eknaren at 17°00′S 040°00′E / 17.000°S 40.000°E on 1 July 1942.[4] On 26 July 1942, she conducted a reconnaissance of Diego Garcia, and she returned to Penang on 10 August 1942.[4] She soon got underway for Japan and arrived at Yokosuka on 26 August 1942 to undergo an overhaul.[4]
Guadalcanal campaign
Meanwhile, the
I-16 embarked the midget submarine No. 30 at 13:00 on 4 November 1942,[4] and that day she and I-24 got underway for the Indispensable Strait.[4] She reached her launch area off Guadalcanal at 06:00 on 7 November 1942.[4] At 02:00 on 11 November, No. 30′s two-man crew manned their craft, and at 03:49 I-16 submerged when she sighted a United States Navy PT boat.[4] She launched No. 30 10.8 nautical miles (20.0 km; 12.4 mi) off Cape Esperance on Guadalcanal′s northwestern coast at 04:21.[4] No. 30′s steering system suffered damage during her launch, and No. 30 lost steering at 04:24.[4] No. 30 aborted her mission, surfaced, and headed toward Japanese-held Kamimbo Bay on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal,[4] but her crew sighted an Allied aircraft and scuttled her.[4] They swam to shore, arriving safely at the Japanese midget submarine base at Maravovo, Guadalcanal, at 19:00.[4]
I-16, meanwhile, was returning to the Shortland anchorage. While en route, she received orders on 13 November 1942 to locate the crippled Japanese battleship
At the Shortland anchorage, I-16 embarked the midget submarine No. 10 and again departed for Guadalcanal, planning to target Allied ships off Lungga Point on Guadalcanal′s northern coast.[4] At 02:55 on 28 November 1942, she launched No. 10 north of Guadalcanal 21 nautical miles (39 km; 24 mi) from Savo Island.[4] No. 10 penetrated the screen of destroyers protecting the anchorage and at 08:16 torpedoed and damaged the cargo ship USS Alchiba (AK-23) 3,000 yards (2,700 m) northeast of Lungga Point, so badly damaging Alchiba that she beached herself to avoid sinking and burned for four days.[4] No. 10 and her two-man crew were never heard from again.[4]
I-16 embarked the midget submarine No. 22 at the Shortland anchorage and returned to the waters off Guadalcanal.[4] At 04:48 on 3 December 1942, she launched No. 22 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) off Savo Island.[4] At dawn, No. 22 sighted the hospital ship USS Solace (AH-5) off Lungga Point, then fired both of her torpedoes at a destroyer heading for the same area.[4] Both torpedoes missed.[4] No. 22′s crew scuttled her and swam safely to Guadalcanal at Cape Esperance.[4]
I-16 next received orders to take part in an effort to resupply by submarine the Japanese forces fighting on Guadalcanal.[4] She departed Truk on 6 January 1943 on her first supply run, carrying supplies in drums. Arriving at Cape Esperance on 13 January 1943, she found no Daihatsu-class landing craft waiting to unload her because of Allied aircraft patrolling over the area, so her crew threw the supply drums overboard for the Daihatsus to retrieve from the water later and she got back underway, heading for Rabaul on New Britain.[4] She returned to Cape Esperance on 25 January 1943 and unloaded 18 tons of supplies in containers.[4]
On 31 January 1943, a Japanese task force of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers sortied from Truk to cover Operation Ke, the Japanese evacuation of their forces from Guadalcanal,[4] and I-16 and the submarines I-11, I-25, and I-32 patrolled southeast of Guadalcanal in support of the operation.[4] The Japanese completed Operation Ke on 9 February 1943 after evacuating 11,700 personnel from Guadalcanal.[4]
On 7 May 1943, the U.S. Navy
New Guinea campaign
I-16 next received orders to carry supplies to Japanese forces fighting in the New Guinea campaign. On her first supply run, she unloaded 40 tons of cargo, including 30 supply drums, at Lae on the coast of New Guinea.[4] She then headed for Rabaul, and during the voyage collided underwater with I-20 on 2 April 1943.[4] After calling at Rabaul, she got underway for Japan, where she arrived at Yokosuka on 16 April 1943 to undergo repairs and a refit.[4]
Once again ready for sea, I-16 departed Yokosuka on 21 September 1943, called at Truk, and then resumed her New Guinea supply runs.[4] She called at Sio, New Guinea, on her first two runs on 17 and 25 October 1943.[4] On her third run, she disembarked 30 soldiers of the 85th Guard Unit at Sio on 2 November 1943.[4] She visited Sio again on 9 and 20 November 1943.[4]
On 24 November 1943, I-16 embarked the newly appointed commander of the
Later operations
I-16′s repairs were completed in early February 1944, and on 17 March 1944 she departed Yokosuka and proceeded to Truk, which became her new base.[4]
At 08:00 on 14 May 1944, I-16 got underway from Truk for a supply run to
Loss
Five days into I-16′s supply run to Buin, an American
I-16 was the first of six Japanese submarines England sank over a 13-day period in May 1944:[11] Her later victims were Ro-106 on 22 May,[11][12] Ro-104 on 23 May,[11][13] Ro-116 on 24 May,[11][14] Ro-108 on 26 May,[11][15] and Ro-105 on 31 May.[11][16]
On 25 June 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared I-16 to be presumed lost in the Solomon Islands with her entire crew of 107.[4] She was stricken from the Navy list on 10 October 1944.[4]
Wreck
I-16′s wreck lies at 05°10′S 158°10′E / 5.167°S 158.167°E and is considered a war grave.[4]
Sinkings summary
I-16 sank four ships during her career with a combined loss of 14 lives.[4]
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 June 1942 | Susak |  Yugoslavia
|
3,889 | Sunk |
| 8 June 1942 | Agios Georgios IV |  Greece
|
4,847 | Sunk |
| 12 June 1942 | Supetar | Yugoslavia
|
3,748 | Sunk |
| 1 July 1942 | Eknaren |  Sweden
|
5,243 | Sunk |
Notes
- gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
References
Footnotes
- ^ Bagnasco, p. 192
- ^ Chesneau, p. 201
- ^ a b Carpenter & Dorr, p. 104
- ^ 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 Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-16: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "IJN I-16 (+1944)". wrecksite.eu. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2015). "IJN Submarine I-22: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ a b Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-24: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-20: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-18: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2012). "IJN Submarine I-30: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships England I (DE-635} Accessed 13 June 2022
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2007). "IJN Submarine RO-106: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine RO-104: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine RO-116: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine RO-108: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine RO-105: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
Bibliography
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Boyd, Carl & Yoshida, Akikiko (2002). The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-015-0.
- 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.
- Hashimoto, Mochitsura (1954). Sunk: The Story of the Japanese Submarine Fleet 1942–1945. Colegrave, E.H.M. (translator). London: Cassell & Co. ASIN B000QSM3L0.
- Stille, Mark (2007). Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941-45. New Vanguard. Vol. 135. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-090-1.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1943 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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