 I-56 in harbor, 1930 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | I-56 |
| Builder | Kure Naval Arsenal,Kure, Japan |
| Laid down | 3 November 1926 |
| Launched | 23 March 1928 |
| Completed | 31 March 1929 |
| Decommissioned | 7 January 1937 |
| Recommissioned | by 1 December 1937 |
| Decommissioned | 15 December 1938 |
| Recommissioned | 15 November 1939 |
| Renamed | I-156 on 20 May 1942 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Kaidai-classsubmarine (KD3B Type) |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 101 m (331 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Complement | 60 |
| Armament |
|
I-56, laterI-156, was anImperial Japanese NavyKaidai-classcruiser submarine of the KD3Bsub-class commissioned in 1929. DuringWorld War II, she supported Japanese forces during theinvasion of Malaya in December 1941, theDutch East Indies campaign in early 1942, and theBattle of Midway in June 1942. Except for brief service in theAleutian Islands campaign in 1943, she subsequently served on training duties until selected for use as akaiten mannedsuicidetorpedo carrier in 1945. She surrendered to theAllies in 1945 after the end of the war and wasscuttled in 1946.
Thesubmarines of the KD3B sub-class were essentially repeats of the preceding KD3A sub-class with minor modifications to improveseakeeping. Theydisplaced 1,829 metric tons (1,800 long tons) surfaced and 2,337 metric tons (2,300 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 101 meters (331 ft 4 in) long and had abeam of 8 meters (26 ft 3 in) and adraft of 4.9 meters (16 ft 1 in). The submarines had a diving depth of 60 metres (197 ft) and a complement of 60officers andcrewmen.[1]
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 3,400-brake-horsepower (2,535 kW)diesel engines, each driving onepropeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 900-horsepower (671 kW)electric motor. The submarines could reach 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) on the surface and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged. On the surface, the KD3Bs had a range of 10,000nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).[2]
The submarines had eight internal 533 mm (21 in)torpedo tubes, six in thebow and two in thestern. They carried one reload for each tube for a total of 16torpedoes. They also had one120 mm (4.7 in)deck gun.[3]
Built by theKure Naval Arsenal atKure,Japan,I-56 waslaid down on 3 November 1926,[4][5]launched on 23 March 1928,[4][5] and completed andcommissioned on 31 March 1929.[1][4][5]
On the day of her commissioning,I-56 was attached to theKure Naval District.[4][5] On 1 April 1929, she was assigned to SubmarineDivision 19.[4][5] Her division in turn was assigned to SubmarineSquadron 2 in the2nd Fleet, a component of theCombined Fleet, although sources disagree on whether this also took place on 1 April 1929[4] or not until 30 November 1929.[5] On 1 December 1931 her division was reassigned to the Kure Guard Squadron in the Kure Nava District.[4]
On 20 May 1932, Submarine Division 19 began another assignment to Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet.[4]I-56 got underway fromSasebo, Japan, on 29 June 1933 with the other submarines of her squadron —I-53,I-54 andI-55 of Submarine Division 18 and Submarine Division 19′sI-57 andI-58 — for a training cruise offChina andMako in thePescadores Islands, which the submarines concluded with their arrival atTakao,Formosa, on 5 July 1933.[4][6][7][8][9][10] They departed Takao on 13 July 1933 and again trained in Chinese waters before arriving inTokyo Bay on 21 August 1933.[4][6][7][8][9][10] On 25 August 1933, all six submarines took part in afleet review atYokohama, Japan.[4][6][7][8][9][10] On 27 September 1934,I-56 departedRyojun,Manchukuo, in company withI-57,I-58, and the submarinesI-61,I-62,I-64,I-65,I-66, andI-67 for a training cruise offQingdao, China, which the nine submarines concluded with their arrival at Sasebo on 5 October 1934.[4][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Submarine Division 19 began another assignment to the Kure Guard Squadron in the Kure Naval District on 15 November 1934.[4]
Submarine Division 19 returned to duty with the Combined Fleet on 15 November 1935, this time assigned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the1st Fleet.[4][5]I-56 got underway on 1 February 1936 for naval maneuvers offHonshu[4] and during the maneuvers suffered minor damage in a collision withI-53 32 nautical miles (59 km; 37 mi) southeast of theDaiosakilighthouse at 10:16 on 27 February 1936 while both submarines were operating on the surface in poor visibility.[4][5] Tragedy struck on 18 December 1935 when a suddengale hit whileI-56 wasanchored in Kure harbor and herliberty boatcapsized at 06:50 with the loss of hercommanding officer and fourengineers;[5] after sunrise, only a single survivor from the boat was rescued.[5] Submarine Division 19 was reassigned directly to the Kure Naval District on 1 December 1936.[4]
Submarine Division 19 was reduced to the FirstReserve in the Kure Naval District on 7 January 1937, andI-56, wasdecommissioned that day.[4] By 1 December 1937 she apparently had been recommissioned,[5] and she resumed her direct assignment to the Kure Naval District on 1 January 1938.[4] Her division was reduced to the Third Reserve in the Kure Naval District on 15 December 1938.[4]I-56 resumed active service on 15 November 1939, when Submarine Division 19 was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 4 in the 1st Fleet.[4][5] On 15 November 1940, the squadron was assigned directly to the Combined Fleet.[4]
As the Japanese armed forces mobilized for an offensive againstAllied forces that would begin thePacific campaign ofWorld War II,I-56 departed Kure, Japan, on 20 November 1941 bound forSamah on China′sHainan Island, which she reached on 26 November 1941.[4] All three submarines departed Samah on 1 December 1941 to take up positions to support the offensive.[4][5] Tasked with supporting Operation E, theJapanese invasion ofBritish Malaya,I-56 proceeded to her patrol area in theSouth China Sea northwest of theAnambas Islands.[4][5]
Hostilities began inEast Asia on 8 December 1941 (7 December across theInternational Date Line inHawaii, where Japan began the war with itsattack on Pearl Harbor). The Japanese invasion of British Malaya began that day. On 8 December,I-56 unsuccessfully attacked aRoyal Netherlands Navy submarine — probablyHNLMS K XVII — east of theMalay Peninsula.[5] On 11 December, she attacked the Norwegian 1,186-gross register tonmerchant shipHai Tung — which was on a voyage fromBangkok,Siam, toSingapore, with a cargo ofrice and general supplies — with gunfire, sinking her with the loss of her entire crew of 50 east of British Malaya at05°08′N104°32′E / 5.133°N 104.533°E /5.133; 104.533 (Hai Tung).[4][5]
Early on the morning of 14 December 1941, the Dutch submarineHNLMS K XII detected faint propeller noises, apparently those of a Japanese submarine, and at 11:00 sighted aperiscope tostarboard.[5]K XII steered to ram the Japanese submarine and had closed to 100 meters (109 yd) of where lookouts had last seen the periscope when the periscope reappeared inport.[5]K XII abandoned the ramming attempt and broke contact byzigzagging away.[5] The submarine she attempted to ram probably wasI-54,I-55, orI-56.[5][17][18]I-56 arrived atCam Ranh Bay in Japanese-occupiedFrench Indochina on 20 December 1941.[5]
I-56 departed Cam Ranh Bay on 28 December 1941 to begin her second war patrol, assigned a patrol area in theIndian Ocean southwest ofTjilatjap,Java, in theNetherlands East Indies.[5] Her first success came on 4 January 1942, when she sank the 2,626-gross register ton Britishcargo shipKwangtung with gunfire south of Java at09°12′S111°10′E / 9.200°S 111.167°E /-9.200; 111.167 (Kwangtung).[4][5][19] One source states thatI-56 rammed one ofKwangtung′slifeboats andmachine-gunned others, and that out of 98 crewmen and 35 military personnel aboard, only 35 survived to be rescued the following day.[19] Early on the morning of 5 January, she surfaced and opened gunfire on the Dutch 8,169-gross register ton armed merchant shipTanimbar 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) southeast of Tjilatjap, damaging the ship,[19] but abandoned the attack and submerged whenTanimbar returned fire.[5]
While submerged about 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) southwest of Tjilatjap,I-56 hit the Dutch 3,032-gross register tonsteamerSS Van Ress — which was on a voyage from Tjilatjap toEmmahaven onSumatra — in theengine room with onetorpedo at around 06:00 on 8 January 1942, killing six of her crewmen.[5]Van Reeslisted to port before sinking at07°53′S106°11′E / 7.883°S 106.183°E /-7.883; 106.183 (SSVan Rees).[4][5]I-56 surfaced and her commanding officer questioned the survivors aboutVan Rees′s cargo and destination.[5] Later that day, at around 21:00,I-56 sank the Dutch 2,263-gross register tonpassenger shipVan Riebeeck with gunfire at08°11′S108°47′E / 8.183°S 108.783°E /-8.183; 108.783 (Van Riebeeck), killing 13 members of her crew.[4][5] TheRoyal Netherlands NavyminelayerHNLMS Willem van der Zaan rescued the survivors.[5]
OffBali on the afternoon of 12 January 1942,I-56 fired a torpedo at the Dutch 2,065-gross register ton merchant shipPatras, which was making a voyage fromSurabaya on the southeast coast of Java toTandjong Priok inBatavia on Java′s northwest coast.[5] AfterPatras evaded the torpedo,I-56 surfaced and opened gunfire.[5] AsPatras worked up to her maximum speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), she took several hits in her stern and caught fire.[5] ANetherlands Naval Aviation ServiceDornier Do 24Kflying boat arrived on the scene, andI-56 dived to avoid attack by the aircraft.[5] Lackingdepth charges with which to attack the submerged submarine, the Do-24K departed, andI-56 surfaced to resume her attack onPatras, firing two more rounds at her just beforePatras reached safety in the harbor atBanjoewangi on the eastern tip of Java.[5] Although some ofPatras′s crew were wounded, she suffered no fatalities, and her damage was minor.[5]I-56 concluded her patrol with her arrival at Cam Ranh Bay on 18 January 1942.[5]
I-56 began her third war patrol — as part of the A Group — on 31 January 1942, departing Cam Ranh Bay bound for a patrol area in the Indian Ocean at the southern entrance of theSunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.[5] After refueling at an advance base in theAnambas Islands, she reached her patrol area on 2 February 1942.[5] On 4 February, she attacked the Dutch 979-gross register ton merchant shipTogian — steaming with Convoy JS.1 — with gunfire at the southern entrance to the Sunda Strait.[5]Togian survived, but later wasscuttled atKoepang on the western tip ofTimor.[5] On 11 February,I-56 reported attacking an Allied merchant ship at the southern entrance of the strait in the vicinity of07°S105°E / 7°S 105°E /-7; 105.[5] She concluded her patrol with her arrival atStaring Bay on the coast of theCelebes on 21 February 1942.[5]
On 5 March 1942,I-56 got underway for her fourth war patrol, departing Staring Bay for a patrol area in the Indian Ocean off Tjilatjap, Java.[5] On 9 March, she sighted the 30-foot (9.1 m)lifeboatScorpion, which was carrying 12 Allied airmen escaping from Tjilitjap as it fell to Japanese forces and made forRoebourne,Western Australia.[5]I-56 surfaced, and her commanding officer personally observedScorpion throughbinoculars before allowing her to proceed unmolested, andScorpion eventually reachedAustralia after 47 days at sea.[5]
WhileI-56 was at sea, Submarine Squadron 4 was disbanded on 10 March 1942, and Submarine Division 19 — consisting ofI-56,I-57, andI-58 — was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 5.[5]I-56 concluded her patrol on 12 March 1942 with her return to Staring Bay.[5]
On 13 March 1942,I-56 departed Staring Bay bound for Kure, Japan, which she reached on 20 March 1942. She got back underway from Kure on 14 May 1942 and set course forKwajalein Atoll.[5] During her voyage, she was renumberedI-156 on 20 May 1942.[5] She arrived at Kwajalein on 24 May 1942.[5]
On 26 May 1942,I-156 departed Kwajalein to conduct her fifth war patrol, operating in support of Operation MI, the planned Japanese invasion ofMidway Atoll in theNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands, in which Submarine Squadron 5 formed part of the Advance Expeditionary Force.[5][20] She operated in a patrol line between28°20′N162°20′W / 28.333°N 162.333°W /28.333; -162.333 and26°00′N165°00′W / 26.000°N 165.000°W /26.000; -165.000 which also included the submarinesI-157,I-158,I-159,I-162,I-165, andI-166.[5][20] The Japanese suffered a decisive defeat on 4 June 1942 during theBattle of Midway, and that day thecommander-in-chief of the6th Fleet,Vice AdmiralTeruhisa Komatsu, ordered the 15 submarines in the Japanese submarine patrol line to move westward.[5]
After the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet,AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto, ordered Komatsu to interpose his submarines between the retreating Japanese fleet and the opposingUnited States Navyaircraft carriers,[5] the Japanese submarines, includingI-156, began a gradual movement to the north-northwest, moving at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) by day and 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) after dark.[5] At about 04:00 on 5 June 1942,I-156 sighted the U.S. NavyoilerUSS Guadalupe (AO-32) escorted by two destroyers 550 nautical miles (1,020 km; 630 mi) east of Midway, but could not get into a firing position.[5] The only Japanese submarine other thanI-168[note 1] to make contact with enemy forces during the battle,I-156 returned to Kwajalein on 20 June 1942.[5]
On 22 June 1942I-156 got underway from Kwajalein bound for Kure, Japan, which she reached on 30 June 1942.[5] On 10 July 1942, Submarine Squadron 5 was disbanded, and Submarine Division 19, consisting ofI-156,I-157,I-158, andI-159, was assigned to the Kure Naval District.[5]I-156,I-157, andI-158 assumed duty astraining ships at the Kure Submarine School.[5]
On 21 May 1943, JapaneseImperial General Headquarters decided to withdraw the garrison onKiska in theAleutian Islands and bring theAleutian Islands campaign to a close.[5]I-156 was attached temporarily to Submarine Squadron 1 — along with the submarinesI-2,I-7,I-21,I-24,I-34,I-36,I-155,I-157,I-168,I-169, andI-171 — for the evacuation of the island.[5]
I-156 departed Kure on 22 May 1943, called atYokosuka, Japan, from 23 to 26 May, and then got underway forParamushiro in theKuril Islands.[5] While she was at sea, she was assigned to the Kiska Evacuation Force in the Northern District Force of the5th Fleet on 29 May 1943.[5] She arrived at Paramushiro on 1 June 1943.[5]
After refueling along withI-7,I-21,I-155, andI-157 from the oilerTeiyō Maru on 2 June 1943,I-156 put to sea from Paramushiro on 4 June to make a supply run to Kiska with a cargo of three tons of ammunition and two tons of food.[5] She arrived at Kiska on 15 June 1943, but had to submerge almost immediately to avoid damage during an Allied air raid.[5] After resurfaciung, unloading her cargo, and embarking 60 passengers, she got back underway the same day bound for Paramushiro, which she reached on 20 June.[5] She departed Paramushiro on 21 June 1943 and made for Kure, where she arrived on 26 June.[5] With her Aleutians service complete, she again was attached to the Kure Naval District on 28 June 1943.[5]
Along with the other submarines of Submarine Division 19 —I-157,I-158, andI-159 —I-156 returned to training duties at Kure.[5] She continued in this role until 1 April 1945, when she was reassigned to Submarine Division 34 for service as a carrier ofkaiten mannedsuicide attack torpedoes.[5] Modified to carry twokaiten, she made three voyages between May and August 1945 to transportkaiten fromŌzushima in theSeto Inland Sea tokaiten shore bases along the coast ofKyushu.[5]
In July 1945,I-156′s crew, along with the crews ofI-157,I-158,I-159, andI-162, began training to launchkaiten attacks in the event of aninvasion of Japan by Allied forces.[5] AlthoughEmperorHirohito announced the end of hostilities on 15 August 1945,I-155 andI-156 departedHirao on 25 August 1945 as part of theShinshu-tai ("Land of Gods Unit")kaiten group to attack Allied shipping, but thekaiten operation was cancelled and they quickly were recalled.[5]I-156 surrendered to the Allies on 2 September 1945.[5]
The Japanese removedI-156 from theNavy list on 30 November 1945.[5] She was moved to Sasebo and stripped of all useful equipment.[5] On 1 April 1946, the U.S. Navysubmarine tenderUSS Nereus (AS-17)towed her from Sasebo to an area off theGotō Islands, where she wasscuttled with explosive charges, one of a number of Japanese submarines scuttled that day inOperation Road's End.[5] She sank at32°37′N129°17′E / 32.617°N 129.283°E /32.617; 129.283 (I-156).[5]
