Japanese submarine Ro-65
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Ro-65 |
| Builder | Mitsubishi, Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 15 November 1924 |
| Launched | 25 September 1925 |
| Completed | 30 June 1926 |
| Commissioned | 30 June 1926 |
| Decommissioned | 1 April 1931 |
| Recommissioned | 1 December 1931 |
| Decommissioned | 15 November 1933 |
| Recommissioned | 1 November 1934 |
| Decommissioned | 1 December 1936 |
| Recommissioned | 20 March 1937 |
| Decommissioned | 1 December 1937 |
| Recommissioned | 1939–1940 (see text) |
| Fate | Sank 3 November 1942 |
| Stricken | 1 August 1943 |
| 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 (surfaced), 1,600 (submerged) |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Complement | 48 |
| Armament |
|
Ro-65 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type L submarine of the L4 subclass. First commissioned in 1926, she served in the waters of Japan prior to World War II. During World War II, she operated in the Central Pacific, supported Japanese forces in the Battle of Wake Island and invasion of Rabaul, and took part in the Aleutian Islands campaign. She sank in a diving accident in November 1942.
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-65 was
Service history
Pre-World War II
Upon commissioning, Ro-65 was attached to the
Ro-65 was recommissioned on 1 December 1931,[2] resuming active service in Submarine Division 27 and in the Sasebo Defense Division in the Sasebo Naval District.[2] On 1 October 1932, the division was reassigned to the Sasebo Guard Squadron.[2] On 15 November 1933, the division returned to service in the Sasebo Defense Division,[2] and that day Ro-65 again was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Sasebo.[2][3]
Ro-65 was recommissioned on 1 November 1934,[2] and returned to service in Submarine Division 27 which by then again was serving in the Sasebo Guard Squadron in the Sasebo Naval District.[2] The division was transferred to the Sasebo Defense Squadron on 15 November 1935.[2] On 1 December 1936, Ro-65 again was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Sasebo.[2][3] She was recommissioned on 20 March 1937 and rejoined Submarine Division 27 in the Sasebo Guard Guard Squadron,[2] but again was decommissioned on 1 December 1937 and returned to a reserve status.[2] She was placed in Second Reserve in the Sasebo Naval District on 15 December 1938.[2]
Sources offer different accounts of Ro-65′s status during 1939–1940, asserting or implying that she was recommissioned on 1 November 1939,[2] that she remained in Second Reserve until 15 November 1939 and then was in First Reserve until recommissioning on 15 November 1940,[2] and that she recommissioned on 20 March 1940[3] or on 28 September 1940.[3] Whatever the case, she was back in active service in time for Submarine Division 27′s reassignment to Submarine Squadron 7 in the 4th Fleet in the Combined Fleet on 15 November 1940.[2]
When the Imperial Japanese Navy deployed for the upcoming
World War II
Central Pacific
On 5 December 1941, Ro-65 proceeded from Kwajalein to Roi in the Marshall Islands.[3] She departed Roi on 6 December 1941 and made for Wake Island, where the Battle of Wake Island began on 8 December 1941, with Ro-65, Ro-66, and Ro-67 supporting Japanese forces attempting to seize the atoll.[3] United States Marine Corps forces defending Wake drove back the initial Japanese assault that day.[3] While the Japanese gathered reinforcements for a second and larger invasion of the island, Ro-65 conducted her first war patrol, operating off Wake until 13 December 1941.[3] She then returned to Kwajalein, which she reached in company with Ro-67 on 17 December 1941.[3] Ultimately, the Battle of Wake Island concluded on 23 December 1941 with the Japanese conquest of the atoll.[3]
Ro-65 departed Kwajalein on 24 December 1941 to begin her second war patrol, assigned a patrol area in the vicinity of Howland Island and the Phoenix Islands.[3] The patrol was uneventful, and she returned to Kwajalein on 2 January 1942.[3]
On 16 January 1942, Ro-65 got underway in company with Ro-67 to support the Japanese
On 10 February 1942, Submarine Division 27 was disbanded and Ro-65 and Ro-67 were reassigned to Submarine Division 26.[3] The two submarines departed Truk on 18 February 1942 with orders to reconnoiter the Butaritari area in the Gilbert Islands, proceeding to Butaritari after calling at Ponape in the Caroline Islands from 28 February to 3 March 1942.[3][4] After completing the reconnaissance, the two submarines headed for Japan, calling at Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands from 17 to 18 March 1942 and at Saipan in the Marshall Islands from 24 to 27 March before proceeding to Sasebo, which they reached on 2 April 1942.[3][4]
Aleutian Islands campaign
On 14 July 1942, Submarine Division 26 was reassigned to the
Ro-65 departed Kiska in company with the submarine
On 17 October 1942, Ro-65 got underway to rescue the survivors of the destroyer Oboro, which had been sunk in an American air attack that day in the Bering Sea northeast of Kiska at 52°17′N 178°08′E / 52.283°N 178.133°E, and to stand by to rescue the crew of the destroyer Hatsuharu — which had suffered heavy damage in the same attack — in case she sank.[3] Ro-65 left her patrol area on 19 October 1942 and on 21 October received orders to conduct a reconnaissance of Holtz Bay on the northeast coast of Attu.[3] She reconnoitered Holtz Bay on 23 October and returned to Kiska on 31 October 1942.[3]
Loss
Ro-65 was anchored at Kiska on 3 November 1942 when
The Japanese struck Ro-65 from the Navy list on 1 August 1943.[3]
Later events
Divers from the United States Navy rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard (ARS-50) surveyed the wreck of Ro-65 at Kiska in September 1989.[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 u v w x y "RO-65". iijnsubsite.info. 2016. Retrieved 20 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 aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-65: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ a b Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2017). "Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-67: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 20 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
