| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 407 |
| Builder | Kawasaki,Senshu and Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 16 January 1943 |
| Renamed | Ro-116 on 5 July 1943 |
| Launched | 13 September 1943 |
| Completed | 21 January 1944 |
| Commissioned | 21 January 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk 24 May 1944 |
| Stricken | 10 August 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Ro-100-classsubmarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 60.90 m (199 ft 10 in) overall |
| Beam | 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Draft | 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Crew | 38 |
| Armament |
|
Ro-116 was anImperial Japanese NavyRo-100-classsubmarine. Completed and commissioned in January 1944, she served inWorld War II and was sunk in May 1944 during her second war patrol.
TheRo-100 class was a medium-sized, coastal submarine derived from the precedingKaichū type. Theydisplaced 611 tonnes (601 long tons) surfaced and 795 tonnes (782 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 60.9 meters (199 ft 10 in) long, had abeam of 6 meters (19 ft 8 in) and adraft of 3.51 meters (11 ft 6 in). They had adouble hull and a diving depth of 75 meters (246 ft).[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 500-brake-horsepower (373 kW)diesel engines, each driving onepropeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 380-horsepower (283 kW)electric motor. They could reach 14.2knots (26.3 km/h; 16.3 mph) on the surface and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) underwater. On the surface, theRo-100s had a range of 3,500nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph); submerged, they had a range of 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).[2]
The boats were armed with four internal bow 53.3 cm (21.0 in)torpedo tubes and carried a total of eighttorpedoes. They were also armed with two single mounts for25 mm (1 in) Type 96anti-aircraft guns or a single76.2 mm (3.00 in) L/40 AA gun.[3]
Ro-116 waslaid down asSubmarine No. 407 on 16 January 1943 byKawasaki atSenshu,Japan.[4] She was renamedRo-116 on 5 July 1943 and was attached provisionally to theYokosuka Naval District that day.[4] She waslaunched on 13 September 1943,[4] then wastowed to Kawasaki'sshipyard atKobe, Japan, forfitting-out.[4] She was completed andcommissioned at Kobe on 21 January 1944.[4]
Upon commissioning,Ro-116 was attached formally to theYokosuka Naval District and was assigned to SubmarineSquadron 11 for workups.[4] She called at the 3rd Fuel Depot atTokuyama, Japan, from 28 to 29 March 1944 to refuel.[4]
Ro-116 got underway from Japan on 31 March 1944 along with the submarineRo-117 for her first war patrol, ordered to intercept anAlliedtask force operating in the vicinity of thePalau Islands.[4] She did not find the task force, and returned to Japan on 13 April 1944.[4]
On 4 May 1944,Ro-116 was reassigned to Submarine Division 51 in Submarine Squadron 7 in the6th Fleet.[4] She departedKure, Japan, that day bound forSaipan in theMariana Islands, which she reached on 10 May 1944.[4]
Ro-116 got underway from Saipan on 15 May 1944 for her second war patrol with orders to join the submarinesRo-104,Ro-105,Ro-106,Ro-108,Ro-109, andRo-112 in forming a submarine picket line north of theAdmiralty Islands designated Scouting Line NA.[4][5] The picket line was tasked with providing warning of any move toward thePalau Islands by Allied invasion forces.[4]
On 18 May 1944, U.S. Navysignals intelligence personnel intercepted and decrypted Japanese signals indicating the formation of Scouting Line NA betweenTruk and the Admiralties.[4] Ahunter-killer group composed of thedestroyer escortsUSS England (DE-635),USS George (DE-697), andUSS Raby (DE-698) departedPurvis Bay in the Solomon Islands to intercept the submarineI-16, then attack the submarines assigned to Scouting Line NA.[4][6] AfterEngland sankI-16 on 19 May 1944,[6] the hunter-killer group turned its attention to Scouting Line NA and had its first successes against the line whenEngland sankRo-106 on 22 May 1944[7] andRo-104 on 23 May 1944.[8]
At 01:20Lima Time on 24 May 1944,Ro-116 was on the surface 225 nautical miles (417 km; 259 mi) north-northwest ofKavieng onNew Ireland whenGeorge gainedradar contact on her at a range of 17,000 yards (15,500 m).[4]Ro-116 submerged at 01:28, causingGeorge to lose contact.[4] At 01:50, however,England madesonar contact onRo-116 at a range of 750 yards (690 m).[4] Operating at a depth of 170 feet (52 m),Ro-116 began to emit sound impulses to jamEngland′s sonar and to make violent evasive maneuvers intended to disruptEngland′s sonar by creating underwaterwakes.[4]England aborted her first two attack runs, then fired a barrage of 24Hedgehog projectiles, at least three of which hit and sankRo-116 at00°53′N149°14′E / 0.883°N 149.233°E /0.883; 149.233 ('Ro-116).[4] After sunrise, debris was recovered from the ocean's surface in the area.[4]
Ro-116 was the fourth of six Japanese submarinesEngland sank over a 13-day period in May 1944:[9] She previously had sunkI-16 on 19 May[9][6]Ro-106 on 22 May,[9][10] andRo-104 on 23 May,[9][11] she went on to sinkRo-108 on 26 May,[9][12] andRo-105 on 31 May.[9][13]
On 25 June 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy declaredRo-116 to be presumed lost north of the Admiralty Islands with all 56 men on board.[4] The Japanese struck her from the Navy list on 10 August 1944.[4]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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