Japanese submarine I-17
Encyclopedia
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.
on 7 December 1941 I-17 patrolled north of Oahu
. Its mission was to reconnoiter and engage any ships that tried to sortie from Pearl Harbor. I-17 proceeded to a patrol station off Cape Mendocino
following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The 6912-ton General Petroleum tanker SS Emidio
was sailing in ballast from Seattle, Washington
enroute to San Pedro, California. I-17 hit the tanker with five 14-cm shells in the early afternoon of 20 December 1941. The tanker was within sight of land, and survivors reached the Blunt Reef lightship in lifeboats. The tanker drifted north onto rocks off Crescent City, California
where the wreck remained until scrapped in 1959. A scheduled shelling of American coastal cities on Christmas
eve of 1941 was canceled because of the frequency of coastal air and surface patrols.
, within the Ellwood Oil Field
. Over 20 minutes she fired 17 shells from her 140 mm gun at the giant Richfield
aviation fuel storage tanks on the blufftop behind the beach. The shots were mostly wild, one landing more than a mile inland. The closest shell exploded in a field 30 yards (27.4 m) from one of the tanks. The shelling did only minor damage to a pier and a pumphouse, but news of the shelling triggered an "invasion" scare along the West Coast.
The following night the anti-aircraft defences in Los Angeles
exploded into action in response to an imagined invasion (later to be known as the Battle of Los Angeles, against a supposed UFO). During a 30 minute fusillade, guns hurled 1,440 rounds of 3 inches (76.2 mm) and 37 mm ammunition into the night sky, and about ten tons of shrapnel and unexploded ammunition fell back on the city.
on the first of many supply missions.
a Japanese convoy carrying troops to Lae
was bombed and strafed by USAAF
and RAAF planes for three successive days. All of the eight transports and cargo vessels in the convoy and four of the eight escorting destroyer
s were sunk. The Japanese in lifeboats, rafts and in the water were strafed by planes and PT boat
s. The I-17 was directed to the area.
On 5 March two PT boats, PT-143 and PT-150, discovered I-17 with three lifeboats full of survivors from the Bismarck Sea battle. The submarine was taking them on board. The I-17 crash dived as the PT boats strafed and fired torpedoes at her. The PT boats then sank the lifeboats with machine gun fire and depth charges. Several hours later, the I-17 resurfaced and picked up 33 surviving soldiers.
The following day I-17 rescued another 118 soldiers and 4 sailors. She then sailed to Lae and disembarked her 155 passengers.
23°45′S 166°30′E. I-17 sighted the 10,169 ton Panama
nian flagged tanker Stanvac Manila. The tanker had six PT boats on board as cargo. At 0407, I-17's torpedo hit the tanker, flooding the engine and fire room and disabling all power and communications. At 12:05 the Manila sank, taking the two PT boats PT-165 and PT-173 with her. At about 13:00 the destroyer USS Preble
arrived and towed three of the surviving PT boats, PT-167, PT-171 and PT-174 to Noumea. The remaining boat, PT-172, made Noumea under her own power. One life was lost.
armed trawler
HMNZS Tui
, escorting the convoy, picked up a submarine contact. She made an initial run over it without using depth charge
s, a second run dropping two depth charges, and a third run throwing another two depth charges. Then the Tui lost contact with the i - 17.
OS2U Kingfisher
floatplane
s of the US Scouting Squadron VS-57, from New Caledonia
, joined the search one of these planes indicated that Tui should investigate smoke on the horizon. The submarine was sighted on the surface and the Tui opened fire at maximum range, scoring one and possibly two hits. The two shells exploded forward of her periscope, the I - 17 was severely damaged, and slid beneath the waves, leaving a trail of air bubbles and oil marking her path.
The I - 17 surfaced quickly five minutes later with the bow exiting at a steep angle. The floatplane strafed the deck of the large submarine briefly, keeping the crew of the submarine from manning her deck gun, and when the sailors of the I - 17 finally reached their gun stations, they fired into the sky with anti-aircraft fire.
The Kingfishers next dropped more depth charges, and then the submarine sank at 23°26′S 166°50′E. Ninety-one of her sailors were lost. The Tui rescued six survivors who said that the Tui's depth charge attacks had damaged the I - 17 and forced her to the surface, and also that the Kingfisher's depth charges had sunk her in the end.
B1 type submarine
The Type B1 submarine were the most numerous submarine class of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II...
of 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...
which saw service during World War II
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...
. She was the first Axis ship to shell the United States mainland.
Pearl Harbor
During the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December 1941 I-17 patrolled north of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. Its mission was to reconnoiter and engage any ships that tried to sortie from Pearl Harbor. I-17 proceeded to a patrol station off Cape Mendocino
Cape Mendocino
Cape Mendocino located on the Lost Coast entirely within Humboldt County, California, USA, is the westernmost point on the coast of California. It has been a landmark since the 16th century when the Manila Galleons would reach the coast here following the prevailing westerlies all the way across...
following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The 6912-ton General Petroleum tanker SS Emidio
SS Emidio
SS Emidio was a 6912-ton tanker of the General Petroleum Corporation , which became the first casualty of the Imperial Japanese Navy's submarine force action on California's Pacific Coast. Emidio was sailing in ballast from Seattle, Washington enroute to San Pedro, California...
was sailing in ballast from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
enroute to San Pedro, California. I-17 hit the tanker with five 14-cm shells in the early afternoon of 20 December 1941. The tanker was within sight of land, and survivors reached the Blunt Reef lightship in lifeboats. The tanker drifted north onto rocks off Crescent City, California
Crescent City, California
Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
where the wreck remained until scrapped in 1959. A scheduled shelling of American coastal cities on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
eve of 1941 was canceled because of the frequency of coastal air and surface patrols.
Shelling the US mainland
On 23 February 1942 I-17 achieved some notability as the first Axis ship to shell the United States mainland. A few minutes after 7 pm she surfaced a few hundred yards off a beach 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, within the Ellwood Oil Field
Ellwood Oil Field
Ellwood Oil Field and South Ellwood Offshore Oil Field are a pair of adjacent, partially active oil fields adjoining the city of Goleta, California, about twelve miles west of Santa Barbara, largely in the Santa Barbara Channel...
. Over 20 minutes she fired 17 shells from her 140 mm gun at the giant Richfield
ARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
aviation fuel storage tanks on the blufftop behind the beach. The shots were mostly wild, one landing more than a mile inland. The closest shell exploded in a field 30 yards (27.4 m) from one of the tanks. The shelling did only minor damage to a pier and a pumphouse, but news of the shelling triggered an "invasion" scare along the West Coast.
The following night the anti-aircraft defences in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
exploded into action in response to an imagined invasion (later to be known as the Battle of Los Angeles, against a supposed UFO). During a 30 minute fusillade, guns hurled 1,440 rounds of 3 inches (76.2 mm) and 37 mm ammunition into the night sky, and about ten tons of shrapnel and unexploded ammunition fell back on the city.
Supply missions to Guadalcanal
In November 1942 I-17's 140 mm deck gun was removed and she set out for GuadalcanalGuadalcanal
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...
on the first of many supply missions.
Battle of the Bismarck Sea
On 2 March 1943 in the Battle of the Bismarck SeaBattle of the Bismarck Sea
The Battle of the Bismarck Sea took place in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. During the course of the battle, aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force attacked a Japanese convoy that was carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea...
a Japanese convoy carrying troops to Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
was bombed and strafed by USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and RAAF planes for three successive days. All of the eight transports and cargo vessels in the convoy and four of the eight escorting destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s were sunk. The Japanese in lifeboats, rafts and in the water were strafed by planes and PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
s. The I-17 was directed to the area.
On 5 March two PT boats, PT-143 and PT-150, discovered I-17 with three lifeboats full of survivors from the Bismarck Sea battle. The submarine was taking them on board. The I-17 crash dived as the PT boats strafed and fired torpedoes at her. The PT boats then sank the lifeboats with machine gun fire and depth charges. Several hours later, the I-17 resurfaced and picked up 33 surviving soldiers.
The following day I-17 rescued another 118 soldiers and 4 sailors. She then sailed to Lae and disembarked her 155 passengers.
Torpedoing the Stanvac Manila
On 24 May 1943 100 miles (160.9 km) south off NoumeaNouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
23°45′S 166°30′E. I-17 sighted the 10,169 ton Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian flagged tanker Stanvac Manila. The tanker had six PT boats on board as cargo. At 0407, I-17's torpedo hit the tanker, flooding the engine and fire room and disabling all power and communications. At 12:05 the Manila sank, taking the two PT boats PT-165 and PT-173 with her. At about 13:00 the destroyer USS Preble
USS Preble (DD-345)
The fourth USS Preble was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I, and saw combat in World War II as a minelayer...
arrived and towed three of the surviving PT boats, PT-167, PT-171 and PT-174 to Noumea. The remaining boat, PT-172, made Noumea under her own power. One life was lost.
Loss
On 19 August 1943 40 miles (64.4 km) SE off Noumea. The I-17's Glen floatplane reconnoitered and spotted a convoy that has just cleared the harbour. After stowing the plane, the I-17 set out after the convoy. The 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...
armed 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...
HMNZS Tui
HMNZS Tui (T234)
HMNZS Tui was a Bird class minesweeper of the Royal New Zealand Navy. She was commissioned in 1941 for minesweeping and anti-submarine roles....
, escorting the convoy, picked up a submarine contact. She made an initial run over it without using depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s, a second run dropping two depth charges, and a third run throwing another two depth charges. Then the Tui lost contact with the i - 17.
OS2U Kingfisher
OS2U Kingfisher
The Vought OS2U Kingfisher was an American catapult-launched observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest, because of its light engine...
floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s of the US Scouting Squadron VS-57, from New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, joined the search one of these planes indicated that Tui should investigate smoke on the horizon. The submarine was sighted on the surface and the Tui opened fire at maximum range, scoring one and possibly two hits. The two shells exploded forward of her periscope, the I - 17 was severely damaged, and slid beneath the waves, leaving a trail of air bubbles and oil marking her path.
The I - 17 surfaced quickly five minutes later with the bow exiting at a steep angle. The floatplane strafed the deck of the large submarine briefly, keeping the crew of the submarine from manning her deck gun, and when the sailors of the I - 17 finally reached their gun stations, they fired into the sky with anti-aircraft fire.
The Kingfishers next dropped more depth charges, and then the submarine sank at 23°26′S 166°50′E. Ninety-one of her sailors were lost. The Tui rescued six survivors who said that the Tui's depth charge attacks had damaged the I - 17 and forced her to the surface, and also that the Kingfisher's depth charges had sunk her in the end.
Further reading
- Harker, Jack (2000)The Rockies: New Zealand Minesweepers at War. Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0-9597979-9-8
- Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Dieter Jung, Peter Mickel. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. United States Naval Institute, 1977. Annapolis, Maryland, USA, 1977. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.