Japanese submarine I-166
History | |
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Name | I-66 |
Builder | |
Laid down | 8 November 1929 |
Launched | 2 June 1931 |
Completed | 10 November 1932 |
Commissioned | 10 November 1932 |
Decommissioned | 1 November 1934 |
Recommissioned | 1 December 1936 |
Decommissioned | 1 December 1937 |
Recommissioned | 1 September 1939 |
Renamed | I-166 on 20 May 1942 |
Fate | Sunk by HMS Telemachus, 17 July 1944 |
Stricken | 10 September 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Kaidai-class submarine (KD5 Type) |
Displacement |
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Length | 97.7 m (320 ft 6 in) |
Beam | 8.2 m (26 ft 11 in) |
Draft | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | 70 m (230 ft) |
Complement | 75 |
Armament |
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I-66, later I-166, was a
Design and description
The submarines of the KD5 sub-class were improved versions of the preceding KD4 sub-class. They displaced 1,732 tonnes (1,705 long tons) surfaced and 2,367 tonnes (2,330 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 97.7 meters (320 ft 6 in) long, had a beam of 8.2 meters (26 ft 11 in) and a draft of 4.7 meters (15 ft 5 in). The boats had a diving depth of 75 m (246 ft)[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 3,400-
The boats were armed with six internal 53.3 cm (21.0 in)
Construction and commissioning
Built by the
Service history
Pre-World War II
Upon commissioning, I-66 was assigned to Submarine Division 30 in the
On 11 October 1940, I-66 took part along with 97 other Japanese warships and 527 Japanese naval aircraft in an Imperial Naval Review in Tokyo Bay.[3] A little over a year later, early on the morning of 21 October 1941, she collided with the submarine I-7 in Saeki Bay during naval maneuvers.[3] Both submarines suffered only light damage.[3]
As the Imperial Japanese Navy began to deploy in preparation for the impending
World War II
First war patrol
On 5 December 1941, I-66 departed Samah to begin what would become her first war patrol.
Reassigned to Patrol Unit "B" on 25 December 1941,[3] I-66 concluded her patrol by arriving at Cam Ranh Bay in Japanese-occupied French Indochina on 27 December 1941.[3]
Second war patrol
As a unit of Patrol Group "B," I-66 was among submarines tasked with attacking
At 15:16 on 21 January 1942, I-66 torpedoed the
Third war patrol
During I-66′s stay at Penang, the commander of Submarine Division 30 transferred his flag to her.[3] On 9 February 1942, she set out from Penang to begin her third war patrol, during which she was to patrol in the Indian Ocean off Ceylon.[3] On 14 February 1942 at 08:17, while she was operating east of Trincomalee, Ceylon, she torpedoed the British 2,076-gross register ton Straits Steamship Company steamer Kamuning — which was carrying a cargo of rice from Rangoon to Colombo, Ceylon — at 08°35′N 081°44′E / 8.583°N 81.733°E.[3] She then surfaced and opened fire on Kamuning with her deck gun.[3] Six of Kamuning′s 69-member crew were killed.[3] The disabled steamer remained afloat, but while under tow to Trincomalee she sank at 08°35′N 081°26′E / 8.583°N 81.433°E.[3] I-66 returned to Penang on 2 March 1942.[3]
March–May 1942
On 15 March 1942, I-66 departed Penang for Sasebo, where she arrived on 28 March 1942.
Fourth war patrol: The Battle of Midway
On 26 May 1942, I-166 departed Kwajalein for her fourth war patrol, operating in support of Operation MI, the planned Japanese invasion of
After the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, ordered Komatsu to interpose his submarines between the retreating Japanese fleet and the opposing United States Navy aircraft carriers,[8] the Japanese submarines, including I-166, began a gradual movement to the north-northwest, moving at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) by day and 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) after dark.[8] I-166 made no contact with enemy forces during the battle,[3][8] and her patrol concluded with her arrival at Sasebo on 26 June 1942.[3]
June–August 1942
I-166 underwent an overhaul while at Sasebo.[3] During her stay, Submarine Squadron 5 was disbanded on 10 July 1942 and her division, Submarine Division 30, was reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet.[3] With her overhaul complete, she departed Sasebo on 22 July 1942 bound for Penang, where she arrived on 6 August 1942.[3]
Fifth war patrol
I-166 began her fifth war patrol on 11 August 1942, departing Penang for an operating area in the Indian Ocean.[3] During the patrol she reported sinking two Allied merchant ships, on 16 and 17 August 1942.[3] She returned to Penang on 31 August 1942.[3]
Sixth war patrol
On 18 September 1942, I-166 set out from Penang for her sixth war patrol, bound for an operating area in the Indian Ocean.[3] She attacked an unidentified Allied merchant ship on 29 September 1942, but her torpedoes missed and the ship escaped.[3] On 1 October 1942, she landed three Indian National Army agents on Ceylon.[3] Later that day, she attacked the Panamanian 1,201-gross register ton armed merchant ship Camila with gunfire at 13:10 at 08°10′N 077°41′E / 8.167°N 77.683°E.[3] The attack set Camila on fire and she was beached, becoming a total loss.[3] I-166 returned to Penang on 11 October 1942.[3]
Seventh war patrol
I-166 departed Penang on 5 November 1942 to begin her seventh war patrol, again in the Indian Ocean.
Eighth war patrol
On 5 December 1942, I-166 left Penang for her eighth war patrol, assigned an operating area in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Australia.[3] Soon after she left, she received orders to divert from her patrol to bombard Cocos Island.[3] She shelled the island on 25 December 1942, but otherwise saw no action, and concluded her patrol by arriving at Surabaya, Java, on 27 December 1942.[3]
January–July 1943
I-166 soon departed Surabaya bound for Sasebo, where she arrived on 19 January 1943.
Ninth and tenth war patrols
Not long after her arrival at Surabaya, I-166 embarked on her ninth war patrol, assigned an operating area in the Indian Ocean between Fremantle, Australia, and Lombok Strait.[3] The patrol was uneventful and concluded with her arrival at Balikpapan, Borneo, on 10 September 1943.[3] On 11 September 1943 she departed Balikpapan bound for Singapore, where she arrived on 13 September 1943.[3] Reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet, she got underway from Singapore on 23 September 1943 and arrived at Penang on 25 September 1943.[3]
On 9 October 1943, I-166 departed Penang and, after refueling at Sabang on the northern coast of Sumatra, headed into the Indian Ocean for her tenth war patrol.[3] In late October 1943 she attacked an unidentified Allied merchant ship off Colombo, Ceylon, but scored no hits.[3] She returned to Penang on 13 November 1943.[3]
Eleventh and twelfth war patrols
I-166 began her eleventh war patrol on 7 December 1943, getting underway from Penang for an operating area in the Indian Ocean.
Departing Penang on 7 February 1944, I-166 conducted her twelfth war patrol in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.[3] On 19 February 1944, she fired two torpedoes at the British 6,943-gross register ton armed tanker British Fusilier, but both missed and British Fusilier escaped.[3] I-166 returned to Penang on 13 March 1944.[3]
March–July 1944
On 25 March 1944, I-166′s division, Submarine Division 3, was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 8.
Loss
On 17 July 1944, the
The Japanese 15th Special Base Unit at Penang sent the
On 10 September 1944, I-166 was stricken from the Navy List.
Notes
- ^ a b Carpenter & Polmar, p. 93
- ^ 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 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 Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2016). "IJN Submarine I-166: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-164: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "IJN Submarine I-162: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "MilitaryHistoryOnline.com". www.militaryhistoryonline.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ Spennemann, Dirk HR (June 2009). "The Cultural Landscape of the World War II Battlefield of Kiska, Aleutian Islands" (PDF). National Park Service.
- ^ a b c d e Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (1 May 2016). "IJN Submarine I-156: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
References
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- 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 (2016). "IJN Submarine I-166: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.