Japanese submarine I-1
Encyclopedia
The Japanese submarine I-1 was a J1 type
J1 type submarine
The Type J1 submarines were large cruiser submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy.Four boats were built between 1926 and 1929.These boats, based on the KD2 and U-139 designs, were of a junsen, or cruiser, type with an impressive range of 24,000 nm...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
built by Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
, Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, for the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. She was a large cruiser submarine displacing 2,135 tons and was the lead of four boats built in the class.
She was commissioned on 10 March 1926 and served in the Second
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
World War. On 29 January 1943, during Operation Ke
Operation Ke
was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal at the conclusion of the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. The operation took place between 14 January and 7 February 1943, and involved both army and navy forces under the overall direction of the Japanese Imperial...
, the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
naval trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
s, Kiwi
HMNZS Kiwi (T102)
HMNZS Kiwi was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship....
and Moa
HMNZS Moa (T233)
HMNZS Moa was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Kiwi, Moa helped ram and wreck the Japanese submarine I-1...
, intercepted and wrecked her after a surface battle at Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
.
Her war activity
- 7 December 1941: during the attack on Pearl HarborPearl HarborPearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
she was stationed in Kauai Channel to reconnoiter and attack any ships that sortied from the harbour. - 15 December 1941: bombarded Kahului, Maui.
- 31 December 1941: shelled the harbor at Hilo, Hawaii.
- 3 March 1942: Sinks the 8,806-ton Dutch steamer Siantar en route to Australia from Java.
- 18 April 1942: witnessed the Doolittle raidDoolittle RaidThe Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
on Tokyo - 11 June 1942: sets out to patrol the Aleutians.
- 1 August 1942: is adapted to a cargo role. Her aft 140 mm (5.5 in) gun is removed to make room for a 46 feet (14 m) Daihatsu barge.
- 26 October 1942: evacuates Japanese troops from Goodenough IslandGoodenough IslandGoodenough Island in the Solomon Sea is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and south west of the Trobriand Islands.It should not be confused with Goodenough's Island...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
to RabaulRabaulRabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
. - 10 January 1943: receives her Daihatsu barge.
- 20 January 1943: Arrives at Rabaul and loads rice, bean paste, curry, ham and sausages, all in rubber containers, into the Daihatsu barge. The three-man crew of the barge is also embarked.
- 24 January 1943: The I-1 departs Rabaul for BuinBuin, Papua New GuineaBuin is a settlement at the southern end of the island of Bougainville, a part of the North Solomons Province, located in the northern Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.-History:...
to pick up supplies for a resupply mission to GuadalcanalGuadalcanalGuadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
.
Her wrecking
On 29 January 1943 she encountered the much smaller 607 ton New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
, Kiwi
HMNZS Kiwi (T102)
HMNZS Kiwi was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles. From 1948 to 1956 she functioned as a training ship....
and Moa
HMNZS Moa (T233)
HMNZS Moa was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy.On 29 January 1943, with her sister ship Kiwi, Moa helped ram and wreck the Japanese submarine I-1...
. Unable to penetrate the I1's armour with their deck guns, the New Zealand minesweepers rammed and wrecked her in shallow water at Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. The wreck partially protrudes from the water. Coincidentally the Kiwi and Moa's only sister ship, HMNZS Tui
HMNZS Tui
The name HMNZS Tui may apply to* HMNZS Tui , a minesweeper commissioned 1941-1967* HMNZS Tui , an oceanographic research ship commissioned 1970–1998...
sank the I-17
Japanese submarine I-17
I-17 was a Japanese B1 type submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy which saw service during World War II. She was the first Axis ship to shell the United States mainland.-Pearl Harbor:...
.
Critical codes remained on board and the Japanese command tried unsuccessfully to destroy the boat with air and submarine attacks. The US Navy salvaged 200,000 pages of intelligence: code books, charts, manuals, and the ship's log.
Record of Movement for her sister submarine I-2
Extracts- 29 January 1943: The I-2's sister, the I-1, runs aground and is sunk off Guadalcanal. The wreck partially protrudes from the water. The Japanese, concerned about the possible compromise of their codes, try to destroy the I-1 by explosives and by bombing. All attempts fail.
- 11 February 1943: The I-2, with the XO of I-1 aboard, departs the Shortland Islands for Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal to sink the wreck of the I-1.
- 13 February 1943: In the dark, the I-2 fails to locate the I-1.
- 15 February 1943: The I-2 makes another try, but again fails to locate the I-1.