Japanese submarine I-48
 I-48 at Otsujima Naval Base on 9 January 1945.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 378 |
| Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Sasebo, Japan |
| Laid down | 19 June 1943 |
| Launched | 12 December 1943 |
| Renamed | I-48 on 12 December 1943 |
| Completed | 5 September 1944 |
| Commissioned | 5 September 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk 23 January 1945 |
| Stricken | 10 May 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type C2 submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 109.3 m (358 ft 7 in) overall |
| Beam | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 5.35 m (17 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Crew | 94 |
| Armament |
|
I-48 was the last of three Type C cruiser submarines of the C2 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in September 1944, she operated as a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier during World War II and was sunk in January 1945.
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
Ordered under the
Service history
September 1944–January 1945
Upon commissioning, I-48 was attached to the Yokosuka Naval District and assigned to Submarine Squadron 11 in the 6th Fleet.[4] She was configured to carry four kaiten manned suicide attack torpedoes on her after deck, two of them with access tubes that allowed their pilots to enter them while she was submerged.[4] On 7 December 1944 she was reassigned to Submarine Division 15 in the 6th Fleet, and on 8 December she was assigned to the Kongo ("Steel") kaiten unit.[4]
I-48 completed work-ups in the
Loss
On 21 January 1945, I-48 was 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) west of Ulithi Atoll proceeding toward the atoll on the surface at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) when a Tinian-based PBM Mariner flying boat of U.S. Navy Patrol Bombing Squadron 20 (VPB-20) spotted her on radar at 19:30.[4] When the plane tried to ascertain I-48′s nationality, she submerged, and the Mariner attacked her with two depth charges and a Mark 24 "Fido" acoustic homing torpedo.[4] She survived, but aborted her kaiten attack on the anchorage.[4]
After the Mariner′s crew reported the sighting, a
At 03:10 on 23 January 1945, I-48 was on the surface 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) northeast of Yap, proceeding southwest at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) when Corbesier detected her on radar at a range of 9,800 yards (9,000 m).[4] Corbesier closed the range and I-48 submerged.[4] Corbesier picked up sonar contact on I-48 at 03:36 and fired a Hedgehog salvo that missed.[4] Conklin and Raby also arrived on the scene.[4] Corbesier fired five more Hedgehog salvoes without scoring any hits, then lost contact.[4]
Corbesier regained contact on I-48 at 09:02 and fired another Hedgehog salvo, which missed.
The Japanese 6th Fleet attempted to contact I-48 on 31 January 1945, ordering her to proceed to Kure, Japan.[4] She did not acknowledge the order. She was stricken from the Navy list on 10 May 1945.[4]
Notes
References
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Boyd, Carl & Yoshida, Akikiko (2002). The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: 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.
- Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander. "IJN Submarine I-46: Tabular Record of Movement". Sensuikan!. combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- Hashimoto, Mochitsura (1954). Sunk: The Story of the Japanese Submarine Fleet 1942 – 1945. Colegrave, E.H.M. (translator). London: Cassell and Company. 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.
