 I-4 upon commissioning on 24 December 1929 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | I-4 |
| Builder | Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation,Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 17 April 1926 |
| Launched | 22 May 1928 |
| Completed | 24 December 1929 |
| Commissioned | 24 December 1929 |
| Decommissioned | 15 November 1935 |
| Recommissioned | by 27 March 1937 |
| Decommissioned | 15 November 1939 |
| Recommissioned | by 15 November 1940 |
| Decommissioned | 19 October 1941 |
| Recommissioned | 31 October 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk 21 December 1942 |
| Stricken | 1 March 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | J1 typesubmarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 320 ft (98 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draught | 16.5 ft (5 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) (surfaced) 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (submerged) |
| Range | 24,400 nmi (45,200 km; 28,100 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Test depth | 80 m (262 ft) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1 x 46 ft (14 m)Daihatsu (added November 1942) |
| Complement | 68 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
I-4 was anImperial Japanese NavyJ1 typesubmarine commissioned in 1929. She was a largecruiser submarine that served in theSecond Sino-Japanese War andWorld War II. During the latter conflict she operated in support of theattack on Pearl Harbor, conducted anti-shipping patrols in theIndian Ocean, supported theIndian Ocean raid, and took part in theAleutian Islands campaign,Guadalcanal campaign, andNew Guinea campaign before she was sunk in December 1942.
Built byKawasaki atKobe, Japan,I-4 waslaid down on 17 April 1926.[2][3] She waslaunched on 22 May 1928[2][3] and was completed andcommissioned on 24 December 1929.[2][3]
Upon commissioning,I-4 was attached to theYokosuka Naval District and assigned to SubmarineDivision 7.[2][3] Sources differ on whether Submarine Division 7 was assigned at the time to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District[2] or to SubmarineSquadron 2 in the2nd Fleet, a component of theCombined Fleet.[3] On 1 August 1930, when Submarine Division 8 was created,[4]I-4 and hersister shipI-3 were placed in the new division.[2][3][5] On 1 December 1930, Submarine Division 8 began duty with Submarine Squadron 1 in the1st Fleet, a component of the Combined Fleet.[2] The division was reassigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District on 1 October 1931,[2] but it began another tour of duty in Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet on 1 December 1931.[2]I-4 was offKyushu near theMishima Islands taking part in an exercise in which a group of submarines practiced a mock combined attack on a line ofzigzaggingbattleships on 14 June 1932 when she unexpectedly surfaced in front of the battleships.[3] The battleshipHyūga, making 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), took evasive action at the last minute and managed to avoid a direct collision with the stationaryI-4, althoughHyūga suffered minor damage to herhull plating when herbow grazedI-4's hull.[3]
Submarine Division 8 completed its assignment to Submarine Squadron 1 on 1 October 1932 and again was assigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District,[2] but it returned to duty in Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet on 15 November 1933.[2]I-4 got underway fromSasebo, Japan, in company with the other vessels of Submarine Squadron 1 —I-1,I-2, andI-3 of Submarine Division 7 andI-5 andI-6 of Submarine Division 8 — for a training cruise in Chinese waters on 29 March 1935.[2][5][6][7][8][9] The six submarines concluded the cruise with their return to Sasebo on 4 April 1935.[2][5][6][7][8][9] On 15 November 1935, Submarine Division 8 again returned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District,[2] and that dayI-4 was placed in reserve.[2]
Submarine Division 8 returned to service in Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet on 1 December 1936.[2] On 27 March 1937,I-4 departed Sasebo in company withI-1,I-2,I-3,I-5, andI-6 for training in the vicinity ofQingdao,China.[2][5][6][7][8][9] The six submarines concluded the training cruise with their arrival atAriake Bay on 6 April 1937.[2][5][6][7][8][9]
On 7 July 1937 the first day of theMarco Polo Bridge Incident took place, beginning theSecond Sino-Japanese War.[3] In September 1937 Submarine Squadron 1 was reassigned to the3rd Fleet,[10] which in turn was subordinated to theChina Area Fleet for service in Chinese waters.[10] The squadron, consisting ofI-1,I-2,I-3,I-4,I-5, andI-6,[10] deployed to a base atHong Kong with thesubmarine tendersChōgei andTaigei in September 1937.[10] From Hong Kong, the submarines began operations in support of a Japaneseblockade of China and patrols of China′s central and southern coast.[10] From 20[2] or 21[3] (sources disagree) to 23 August 1937, all six submarines of Submarine Squadron 1 operated in theEast China Sea as distant cover for an operation in which the battleshipsNagato,Mutsu,Haruna, andKirishima and thelight cruiserIsuzu ferried troops fromTadotsu, Japan, toShanghai, China.[3]
Submarine Squadron 1 was based at Hong Kong until the autumn of 1938.[10] In an effort to reduce international tensions over the conflict in China, Japan withdrew its submarines from Chinese waters in December 1938.[10]
Submarine Division 8 was placed in Third Reserve in the Yokosuka Naval District on 15 November 1939.[2] The division was resubordinated on 15 November 1940 to Submarine Squadron 2 in the6th Fleet, a component of the Combined Fleet.[3] On 7 January 1941,I-4 becameflagship of Submarine Division 8.[3] She briefly was in reserve from 19 to 31 October 1941.[2]
On 10 November 1941 — by which timeI-4,I-5,I-6, and the submarineI-7 made up Submarine Division 8, withI-7 serving as squadron flagship[3] — thecommander-in-chief of the 6th Fleet,Vice AdmiralMitsumi Shimizu, gathered thecommanding officers of the fleet′s submarines together for a meeting aboard hisflagship, the light cruiserKatori, which was anchored inSaeki Bay.[3] His chief of staff briefed them on the upcomingattack on Pearl Harbor, which would bring Japan and theUnited States intoWorld War II.[3] As the Imperial Japanese Navy began to deploy for the upcomingconflict in the Pacific,I-4,I-5,I-6, andI-7 got underway from Yokosuka on 16 November 1941, bound for theHawaiian Islands.[3] The submarines received the message "ClimbMount Niitaka 1208" (Japanese:Niitakayama nobore 1208) from theCombined Fleet on 2 December 1941, indicating that war with theAllies would commence on 8 December 1941Japan time, which was on 7 December 1941 on the other side of theInternational Date Line inHawaii.[3]
On 7 December 1941, the submarines of Submarine Squadron 2 took up patrol stations across a stretch of the Pacific Ocean from northeast to northwest ofOahu,[3] withI-4′s patrol area adjacent to that ofI-6.[3] The submarines had orders to conduct reconnaissance in the area and attack any ships whichsortied fromPearl Harbor during or after the attack, which occurred that morning.[3] At around 03:55 on 14 December 1941,I-4 hit thestarboard side of the 4,858-gross register ton Norwegianmerchant shipHųegh Merchant with atorpedo 29 nautical miles (54 km; 33 mi) east-northeast ofMakapuʻu Point, Oahu.[2][3]Hųegh Merchant — which had been on a voyage fromSan Francisco,California, toManila in the Philippines with 7,500 tons of general cargo including 100 tons of explosives and when the war broke out and had been diverted toHonolulu, Hawaii — caught fire, and at around 04:05I-4 fired another torpedo which hit her near the same place as the first.[3]Hųegh Merchant sank at 05:33, and theUnited States Navydestroyer minesweeperTrever rescued her passengers and crew.[3] Oil barrels fromHųegh Merchant's cargo drifted ashore onKauai a number of days later.[3]
On 9 January 1942,I-4 was ordered to divert from her patrol and search for the Americanaircraft carrierLexington, which the submarineI-18 had sighted,[3] but she did not findLexington. She arrived atKwajalein on 22 January 1942,[3] then got back underway on 24 January 1942 bound for Yokosuka, which she reached on 2 February 1942.[3]
WhileI-4 was at Yokosuka, Submarine Squadron 2 — consisting ofI-1,I-2,I-3,I-4,I-6, and the squadron flagship,I-7 — was assigned to theDutch East Indies Invasion Force on 8 February 1942.[3] Accordingly,I-4 departed Yokosuka on 12 February 1942 bound forPalau, where she arrived on 16 February 1942, then got back underway on 17 February bound for theNetherlands East Indies.[3] She arrived atStaring Bay on theSoutheast Peninsula ofCelebes just southeast ofKendari on 22 February 1942,[3] then put back to sea on 23 February, heading for the Indian Ocean south ofJava, where she was to conduct her second war patrol.[3]
At about 16:15 on 28 February 1942,I-4 sank an unidentified Alliedsteamship — sometimes identified as theSingapore-based Dutch 1,693-gross register ton merchant steamerBan Ho Guan, althoughBan Ho Guan may have not been in the area at the time — in the Indian Ocean southwest ofBali.[2][3] She bombarded theCocos Islands on 3 March, and concluded her patrol with her arrival atPenang in Japanese-occupiedBritish Malaya at 12:50 Japan Standard Time on 8 March 1942.[3]
Orders arrived from theheadquarters of theCombined Fleet for all the submarines of Submarine Squadron 2 except forI-1 to conduct reconnaissance operations along the coast ofCeylon and western coast of India in preparation for Operation C, the upcomingIndian Ocean raid by the aircraft carriers of the Combined Fleet′sMobile Force.[3] Accordingly,I-4 departed Penang on 28 March 1942 with the commander of Submarine Division 8 embarked and with orders to conduct a reconnaissance in the Indian Ocean ofEight Degree Channel and the waters offColombo, Ceylon.[3]
At the western entrance of Eight Degree Channel at about 15:55 on 6 April 1942 — the day after Japanese carrier planes raided Colombo —I-4 fired twoType 96 torpedoes at the American 6,617-ton steamerWashingtonian, which was on a voyage fromSuez, Egypt, to Colombo.[3]Washingtonian sighted one of the torpedoes approaching on her port side at a distance of 500 yards (460 m) and began a slow turn in an attempt to avoid it, but both torpedoes hit, settingWashingtonian'sfuel tanks on fire.[3] Fire soon engulfed the ship, and she had taken on a 25-degreelist to port when her crew of 29 and two passengers abandoned ship at 16:05.[3]Washingtonian eventually sank.[3] On 10 April 1942 after 01:00,I-4 surfaced off Colombo in the vicinity of07°N79°E / 7°N 79°E /7; 79 and opened fire with both of herdeck guns on a 200-ton Maldivianbuggalow, firing fourteen 140-millimeter (5.5 in) rounds and heavily damaging the vessel.[3]
I-4's patrol ended with her arrival at Singapore on 16 April 1942.[3] She departed Singapore on 21 April 1942 to head for Yokosuka, which she reached on 1 May 1942.[3]
WhileI-4 was at Yokosuka, theAleutian Islands campaign began on 3–4 June 1942 with aJapanese air raid onDutch Harbor,Alaska, followed quickly by the unopposed Japanese occupation in theAleutian Islands ofAttu on 5 June andKiska on 7 June 1942.[3] On 10 June 1942,I-1,I-2,I-3,I-4,I-5,I-6, andI-7 were reassigned to the Northern Force for duty in the Aleutians, and on 11 June 1942I-4 set out for Aleutian waters in company withI-1,I-2,I-3, andI-7 to begin her fourth war patrol.[3] On 20 June 1942,I-1,I-2, andI-4 joined the "K" patrol line in the NorthPacific Ocean between48°N178°W / 48°N 178°W /48; -178 and50°N178°W / 50°N 178°W /50; -178.[3]I-4 remained on the patrol line until 3 July 1942.[3] On 20 July 1942, she was reassigned to the Advance Force and ordered to return to Japan.[3] She arrived at Yokosuka on 1 August 1942 and began an overhaul.[3]
DuringI-4's stay at Yokosuka, theGuadalcanal campaign began on 7 August 1942 with U.S. amphibious landings onGuadalcanal,Tulagi,Florida Island,Gavutu, andTanambogo in the southeasternSolomon Islands.[3] On 20 August 1942, Submarine Division 8 was disbanded, andI-4 was reassigned to Submarine Division 7.[3] On 8 September 1942 she departed Yokosuka to head to the Solomons war zone and, after calling atTruk from 15 to 19 September 1942, set out for her fifth war patrol, assigned a patrol area south ofSan Cristobal.[3]
On 29 September 1942,I-4 was on the surface 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) southwest ofCape Sidney on San Cristobal when at 23:00 she sighted the 7,447-gross register toncargo shipUSS Alhena on her port bow steaming east-southeast at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), escorted by thedestroyerUSS Monssen.[2][3]I-4 submerged and began an approach at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).[3] At 23:44, she fired two Type 96 torpedoes atAlhena and at 23:51 observed the first torpedo hitAlhena'sstern near No. 5hold, blowing a 45-foot (13.7 m) hole open on either side of her stern and igniting several fires.[3] The second torpedo also hit, but did not explode.[3]Alhena went dead in the water at10°47′S161°16′E / 10.783°S 161.267°E /-10.783; 161.267 and took on a 10-degree stern list.[2][3] AssumingAlhena would sink,I-4 descended to 165 feet (50 m) and began to exit the area at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).[3] She broke contact withMonssen at 00:25 on 30 September 1942.[3] At 00:47 her sound operator reported contact with another destroyer, butI-4 soon lost this contact as well.[3] She surfaced at 01:45 and at 04:32 reported that she had sunk a 7,000-ton cargo ship.[3] However, althoughAlhena suffered six U.S. Navy and 24United States Marine Corps personnel killed or missing[3] she remained afloat, and in mid-1943 returned to combat reconfigured as anattack cargo ship, redesignated AKA-9.[3][11]
On 5 October 1942,I-4 was reassigned to the "A" patrol group.[3] On 10 October 1942, she andI-7 were resubordinated directly to the Advance Force and she received orders to divert from her patrol and proceed to theEspiritu Santo area, where a submarine-launched raid was scheduled to take place.[3] The raid was cancelled, andI-4 was again assigned to the "A" patrol group on 13 October 1942.[3] On 14 October 1942, she received orders to bombard the airfield on Espiritu Santo, but encountered limited visibility as she approached the island from the east and could not find the airfield.[3] On 16 October 1942, she was ordered to patrol in the waters between the Solomon Islands and theNew Hebrides.[3] She was 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) west of Espiritu Santo on 25 October 1942 when she sighted a westbound battleship — probablyUSS Washington — and two destroyers, but she lost them in a rainsquall and did not attempt an attack.[3] She returned to Truk on 3 November 1942.[3]
While at Truk,I-4 underwent a conversion between 4 and 16 November 1942 in which her after 140-millimeter (5.5 in) gun was replaced with a mounting abaft herconning tower for a waterproofDaihatsu-classlanding craft that would allow her to discharge cargo along coastlines in the Solomon Islands,[3] and she was reassigned to the "B" patrol unit on 15 November 1942.[3] As her conversion was being completed, the commander of the 6th Fleet,Vice AdmiralTeruhisa Komatsu, addressed a meeting of the commanding officers of his fleet′s submarines on 16 November 1942 to inform them that thecommander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto, had ordered the 6th Fleet to organize a system of supply runs to the17th Army forces fighting on Guadalcanal via submarine.[3]
Assigned to these supply missions,I-4 departed Truk on 20 November 1942 bound forRabaul.[3] She stopped at Rabaul from 23 to 25 November 1942 and embarked a waterproofDaihatsu on her new mounting, then proceeded toShortland Island in theShortland Islands, her commanding officer receiving a briefing on supply procedures at Guadalcanal while she was at sea offBougainville.[3] She reached Shortland on 26 November 1942.[3] Carrying herDaihatsu, she departed on 28 November with a cargo of 20 tons of food and medicine and reached Kamimbo Bay on the northwest coast of Guadalcanal on 30 November 1942.[3] She quickly unloaded theDaihatsu and got back underway for Rabaul, which she reached on 3 December 1942.[3] On 5 December 1942 at 16:00, she began another supply run to Guadalcanal, again carrying 20 tons of food and medicine, which she unloaded quickly at Kamimbo Bay on 8 December 1942 before stopping at Shortland Island from 10 to 12 December and then moving on to Rabaul, which she reached on 14 December 1942.[3]
On 16 December 1942,I-4 departed Rabaul on an urgent supply run toBuna,New Guinea, to support Japanese forces fighting in theNew Guinea campaign.[3] She arrived off the mouth of theMambare River on the coast of New Guinea at 22:15 on 18 December 1942, but while she was on the surface the U.S. NavyPT boatsPT-121 andPT-122 detected her.[3] The PT boats fired two torpedoes at her, both of which missed, but they forced her to withdraw.[3] She returned to the area a few hours later, but was unable to contact Japanese forces on shore.[3] Her commanding officer transmitted a message saying that he had decided to abort the supply mission and return to Rabaul.[3]
The submarineUSS Seadragon, alerted toI-4's presence byUltra intelligence information, sightedI-4 at the southern entrance toSt. George's Channel offNew Ireland[3] about 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) from Rabaul,[12] heading north on the surface at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), at 06:21 on 21 December 1942.[3] MisidentifyingI-4 as anI-168-class submarine,Seadragon described her as painted black and with the number "4" painted on her conning tower.[3] At 06:37,Seadragon fired threeMark 10 Mod 3 torpedoes at a range of 850 yards (780 m).[3]I-4's lookouts apparently sighted the approaching torpedoes becauseI-4 turned in an apparent attempt to comb theirwakes.[3]Seadragon's first torpedo suffered agyroscope failure and missed ahead and her second torpedo detonated prematurely after running for only 18 seconds.[3] Her third torpedo struckI-4′sstern, resulting in a ball of flames and much smoke.[3]Seadragon sawI-4's bow rise vertically as she sank by the stern at05°02′S152°33′E / 5.033°S 152.550°E /-5.033; 152.550 (I-4) with the loss of all 90 men on board.[3]
On 5 January 1943, the Imperial Japanese Navy officially declaredI-4 to be presumed lost with all hands off Rabaul.[3] She was stricken from the Navy list on 1 March 1943.[3]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1932 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1942 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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