| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 402 |
| Builder | Kawasaki,Kobe,Japan |
| Laid down | 20 August 1942 |
| Renamed | Ro-111 |
| Launched | 26 January 1943 |
| Completed | 19 July 1943 |
| Commissioned | 19 July 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk 10 June 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-111 was anImperial Japanese NavyRo-100-classsubmarine. Completed and commissioned in July 1943, she served inWorld War II, operating in theIndian Ocean — where she sank acargo ship and atroopship — and off theAdmiralty Islands in thePacific Ocean. She was sunk in June 1944 during her fifth 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-111 waslaid down asSubmarine No. 402 on 20 August 1942 byKawasaki atKobe,Japan.[4] She had been renamedRo-111 by the time she waslaunched on 26 January 1943.[4] She was completed andcommissioned on 19 July 1943.[4]
Upon commissioning,Ro-111 was attached to theSasebo Naval District and assigned to SubmarineSquadron 11 for workups.[4] She was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 7 in the8th Fleet on 20 July 1944.[4] On 31 October 1943, she was reassigned to Submarine Division 30 in Submarine Squadron 8 in theSouthwest Area Fleet, and she departedKure, Japan, that day bound forPenang in Japanese-occupiedBritish Malaya. After stopping briefly atSingapore on 16 November 1943, she got back underway the same day and reached Penang on 23 November 1943.[4]
On 6 December 1943,Ro-111 departed Penang to begin her first war patrol, tasked with raidingAllied shipping in theBay of Bengal.[4] She attacked a British 12-shipconvoy — Convoy JC.30, bound fromSwansea,Wales, toCalcutta,India — in theIndian Ocean southeast ofMadras, India, on 23 December 1943.[4] One of hertorpedoes struck the British 7,934-gross register ton armedcargo shipPeshawur, which was carrying 150 tons of explosives and 1,983 tons of general cargo.[4]Peshawur′s crew — some of whom mistakenly believed anacoustic homing torpedo had hit their ship rather thewakelessType 95 torpedoRo-111 actually had fired — abandoned ship, and she sank two hours later.[4] TheRoyal Australian NavycorvetteHMAS Ipswich rescued all 134 men on boardPeshawur, including her entire crew of 125 and all nine of her embarked gunners.[4]Ro-111 returned to Penang on 29 December 1943.[4]
Ro-111 put to sea on 7 January 1944 to conduct her second war patrol, tasked with layingmines offCeylon and then attacking Allied shipping east of Ceylon.[4] She laid ten Type 3 mines off Elephant Rock, Ceylon, on 10 January 1944, but otherwise her patrol was uneventful, and she returned to Penang in late January 1944.[4]
Ro-111 again left Penang on 1 February 1944 to begin her third war patrol.[4] She again operated off Ceylon, laying more mines and patrolling Ceylonese waters without finding any targets.[4] She returned to Penang on 23 February 1944.[4]
At 09:00 on 7 March 1944,Ro-111 put to sea from Penang to begin her fourth war patrol, briefly escorted by thetorpedo boatsT-451 andT-455 as she departed.[4] Her patrol area was in the vicinity of Calcutta.[4] In the Bay of Bengal on 16 March 1944, she attacked Convoy HC.44, which was on a voyage from Calcutta toChittagong, India.[4] One of her torpedoes hit the Indian armedtroopshipEl Madina, which was serving as theflagship of theconvoy vice-commodore, at20°54′N089°36′E / 20.900°N 89.600°E /20.900; 89.600 (El Madina).[4][5]El Madina broke in two, and herstern section sank a few minutes after the torpedo hit.[4] While the rest of the convoy and all of its escorts left the area, theNorwegiansteamerLovstad stopped her engines and rescuedEl Madina′s 814 survivors.[4] The other 380 men aboardEl Madina lost their lives.[4][5]
Ro-111 arrived at Penang on 25 March 1944, the same day that Submarine Division 30 was disbanded and she was reassigned to Submarine Division 51 in Submarine Squadron 7 in the Southwest Area Fleet.[4] On 28 March 1944 she departed Penang and set course forSasebo, Japan, which she reached in April 1944 for a refit and an overhaul.[4]
After completion of the work,Ro-111 departed Sasebo on 22 May 1944 bound forTruk, which she reached on 31 May 1944.[4] She got underway from Truk on 4 June 1944 for her fifth war patrol, headed for a patrol area north of theAdmiralty Islands.[4] On 7 June 1944, she transmitted a routine situation report while operating as part of a submarine patrol line south of Truk.[4] The Japanese never heard from her again.[4]
On 10 June 1944, anFM-2 Wildcatfighter from theUnited States Navyescort aircraft carrierUSS Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75) sighted anoil slick on the surface north of the Admiralty Islands which betrayed the presence ofRo-111.[4] ThedestroyerUSS Taylor (DD-468), operating as part of ahunter-killer group centered aroundHoggatt Bay, leftHoggatt Bay′s screen to investigate.[4]Taylor madesonar contact onRo-111 and dropped two patterns ofdepth charges, but her crew observed no sign that they had damaged the submarine.[4] AfterTaylor stopped to improve her sonar contact,Ro-111 surfaced about 2,500 yards (2,300 m) ahead of her at 15:41.[4]Taylor opened fire onRo-111 with her 5-inch (127 mm) guns and40 mmantiaircraft guns, scoring at least ten 5-inch (127 mm) and numerous 40 mm hits on herconning tower.[4]Ro-111 sank by the stern at 15:46 at00°26′N149°16′E / 0.433°N 149.267°E /0.433; 149.267 (Ro-111), leaving behind an oil slick.[4]Taylor then passed through the oil slick and dropped a pattern of depth charges, and at 15:58 her crew heard two large underwater explosions which marked the end ofRo-111.[4]
On 13 June 1944,Ro-111 was ordered to proceed to a new patrol area south ofGuam at flank speed,[4] and on 22 June 1944 Submarine Division 51headquarters ordered her to return to Truk,[4] but she acknowledged neither order. On 12 July 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy declaredRo-111 to be presumed lost with all 54 men on board.[4] The Japanese struck her from the Navy list on 10 August 1944.[4]
