Japanese submarine Ro-60
History | |
---|---|
Japan | |
Name | Submarine No. 59 |
Builder | Mitsubishi, Kobe, Japan |
Laid down | 5 December 1921 |
Launched | 22 December 1922 |
Completed | 17 September 1923 |
Commissioned | 17 September 1923 |
Renamed | Ro-60 on 1 November 1924 |
Decommissioned | 10 February 1928 |
Recommissioned | 20 September 1928 |
Decommissioned | 1 June 1934 |
Recommissioned | 15 October 1940 |
Fate | Wrecked 29 December 1941 |
Stricken | 15 February 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type L4 (Ro-60-class) submarine |
Displacement | |
Length | 78.39 m (257 ft 2 in) |
Beam | 7.41 m (24 ft 4 in) |
Draft | 3.96 m (13 ft 0 in) |
Propulsion | 2 × Vickers diesels, 2 shafts 2,400 bhp (1,790 kW) (surfaced), 1,600 shp (1,193 kW) (submerged), 75 tons fuel |
Speed |
|
Range |
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Test depth | 60 m (200 ft) |
Complement | 48 |
Armament |
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Ro-60, originally named Submarine No. 59, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type L submarine of the L4 subclass. She was in commission from 1923 to 1934 and from 1940 to 1941. Before World War II, she served in the waters of Japan. During World War II, she took part in the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941, and was damaged by a F4F-3 Wildcat during that battle. The submarine wrecked three weeks later trying to make it back to base, running aground on a reef and was abandoned. All of the crew was rescued by a Japanese vessel. Later in the war the vessel exploded after being strafed, scattering fragments of the vessel on that reef.
Design and description
The submarines of the Type L4 sub-class were copies of the Group 3 subclass of the British L-class submarine built under license in Japan.[1] They were slightly larger and had two more torpedo tubes than the preceding submarines of the L3 subclass.[1] They displaced 1,004 tonnes (988 long tons) surfaced and 1,322 tonnes (1,301 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 78.39 meters (257 ft 2 in) long and had a beam of 7.41 meters (24 ft 4 in) and a draft of 3.96 meters (13 ft 0 in). They had a diving depth of 60 meters (197 ft).
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 1,200-
The submarines were armed with six internal 533 mm (21 in)
Construction and commissioning
Ro-60 was
Service history
Pre-World War II
Upon commissioning, Submarine No. 59 was assigned to the Sasebo Naval District.[2][3] On 9 February 1924, she was reassigned to Submarine Division 26 — in which she spent the remainder of her career — and to the Sasebo Defense Division.[2][3] On 1 April 1924, Submarine Division 26 was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet. Submarine No. 59 was renamed Ro-60 on 1 November 1924.[2][3]
On 1 December 1925, Submarine Division 26 was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 2 in the
On 15 December 1926, the Submarine Division 26 returned to the Sasebo Naval District and the Sasebo Defense Division.[2] On 27 March 1927, Ro-60, Ro-61, Ro-62, Ro-63, Ro-64, and Ro-68 departed Saeki Bay, Japan, for a training cruise off Qingdao, China, which they concluded with her arrival at Sasebo, Japan, on 16 May 1927.[2][7][8][9][10][11] Ro-60 was decommissioned on 10 February 1928 and placed in Third Reserve at Sasebo.[2][3]
Ro-60 was recommissioned on 20 September 1928 and resumed active service in Submarine Division 26 in the Sasebo Defense Division in the Sasebo Naval District.[3] On 10 December 1928, the division again was assigned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet.[2] On 1 December 1930, it returned to the Sasebo Naval District, and served in the Sasebo Defense Division again from that date until 15 November 1933.[2] On 1 June 1934, Ro-60 was decommissioned and placed in Second Reserve at Sasebo,[3] and while in Second Reserve was assigned to the Sasebo Guard Squadron from 15 November 1934 to 15 November 1935.[2] She moved to Third Reserve on 15 December 1938[2] and to Fourth Reserve on 15 November 1939.[2]
Ro-60 again was recommissioned on 15 October 1940,
World War II
Battle of Wake Island
Ro-60 was with the other submarines of Submarine Division 26 — Ro-61 and Ro-62 — at Kwajalein when Japan entered World War II on 8 December 1941, Kwajalein time.[3] The three submarines were placed on "standby alert" that day as United States Marine Corps forces on Wake Island threw back the first Japanese attempt to invade the atoll.[3] On 12 December 1941, Ro-60 and Ro-61 got underway from Kwajalein to support a second, heavily reinforced Japanese attempt to invade Wake Island;[3][12] Ro-62 followed on 14 December 1941.[13]
Ro-60 was on the surface 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) southwest of Wake at around 16:00 local time on 21 December 1941 when a U.S. Marine Corps
Loss
As she was approaching
The Japanese struck Ro-60 from the Navy list on 15 February 1942.[3] At some point later in World War II, an unidentified aircraft strafed her wreck, detonating Ro-60′s torpedoes and blowing the wreck apart.[3] Divers who later visited the site found her wreckage strewn all over the reef, with her aft section lying against the reef, her forward section lying 200 yards (180 m) ahead of her stern, her conning tower 150 yards (140 m) from the forward section, and her deck gun 560 yards (510 m) beyond that.[3]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8317-0303-2, p. 203.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "RO-60 ex No-59". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ 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 Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-60: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "RO-57 ex No-46". iijnsubsite.info. 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "RO-58 ex No-47". iijnsubsite.info. 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "RO-59 ex No-57". iijnsubsite.info. 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "RO-61 ex No-72". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "RO-62 ex No-73". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "RO-63 ex No-84". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "RO-64". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "RO-68". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-61: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-62: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
Bibliography
- "Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The submarines of the Imperial Japanese Forces", Gakken (Japan), March 2005, ISBN 4-05-603890-2
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.43 Japanese Submarines III, Ushio Shobō (Japan), September 1980, Book code 68343-44
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.132 Japanese Submarines I "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), February 1988, Book code 68344-36
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.133 Japanese Submarines II "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), March 1988, Book code 68344-37