The submarines of the KD5 sub-class were improved versions of the preceding KD4 sub-class. They displaced1,732 tonnes (1,705 long tons) surfaced and 2,367 tonnes (2,330 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 97.7 meters (320ft 6in) long, had a beam of 8.2 meters (26ft 11in) and a draft of 4.7 meters (15ft 5in). The boats had a diving depth of 75m (246ft)[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 3,400-brake-horsepower (2,535kW)diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 900-horsepower (671kW)electric motor. They could reach 20 knots (37km/h; 23mph) on the surface and 8 knots (15km/h; 9.2mph) underwater. On the surface, the KD5s had a range of 10,800 nautical miles (20,000km; 12,400mi) at 10 knots (19km/h; 12mph); submerged, they had a range of 60nmi (110km; 69mi) at 3 knots (5.6km/h; 3.5mph).[2]
Built by the Sasebo Navy Yard at Sasebo, Japan, I-66 was laid down on 8 November 1929 and launched on 2 June 1931.[3] She was completed and accepted into Imperial Japanese Navy service on 10 November 1932.[3]
Service history
Pre-World War II
Upon commissioning, I-66 was assigned to Submarine Division 30 in the Sasebo Naval District.[3] She was decommissioned on 1 November 1934 and placed in reserve.[3] Recommissioned on or about 1 December 1936, she was in active service for a year before again decommissioning on 1 December 1937 and going back into reserve.[3] She again was recommissioned on or about 1 September 1939.[3]
On 11 October 1940, I-66 took part along with 97 other Japanese warships and 527 Japanese naval aircraft in an Imperial Naval Review in Tokyo Bay.[3] A little over a year later, early on the morning of 21 October 1941, she collided with the submarine I-7 in Saeki Bay during naval maneuvers.[3] Both submarines suffered only light damage.[3]
As the Imperial Japanese Navy began to deploy in preparation for the impending conflict in the Pacific, I-66 — which together with I-65 made up Submarine Division 30, a part of Submarine Squadron 5 — departed Sasebo on 26 November 1941 bound for Palau along with the rest of Submarine Squadron 5, namely I-65, the submarines of Submarine Division 29, and the squadron's flagship, the light cruiserYura.[3] While en route, the entire squadron was reassigned to the Southern Force on 28 November 1941 and accordingly was diverted to Samah on Hainan Island in China.[3]I-66 and I-65 arrived at Samah on 2 December 1941.[3]
World War II
First war patrol
On 5 December 1941, I-66 departed Samah to begin what would become her first war patrol.[3] When the Japanese invasion of Malaya began on 8 December 1941 — the first day of World War II in East Asia — I-66 was in the South China Sea off Trengganu, British Malaya, operating on a patrol line with the submarines I-57, I-58, I-62, and I-64.[3] On 15 December 1941, I-66 and I-65 were detached from this duty to conduct a reconnaissance of the approaches to Kuching in support of the invasion of Sarawak in British North Borneo, which began on 16 December 1941.[3] The two submarines received a warning that Allied submarines were operating off Kuching.[3] While preparing to surface to recharge her batteries 60 nautical miles (110km; 69mi) northwest of Kuching on 24 December 1941, I-66 sighted the Royal Netherlands Navy submarine HNLMSK XVI on the surface on her starboardbow at a range of 5,500 yards (5,030m).[3] After a submerged approach, I-66 fired a single torpedo at 10:28.[3] It struck K XVI, which broke in two and sank at 02°26′N109°49′E / 2.433°N 109.817°E / 2.433; 109.817 (K XVI) with the loss of her entire crew of 36.[3] On 4 October 2011, Australian divers located the wreck of K XVI, broken in half and at a depth of 50 metres (164ft).[3]
Reassigned to Patrol Unit "B" on 25 December 1941,[3]I-66 concluded her patrol by arriving at Cam Ranh Bay in Japanese-occupied French Indochina on 27 December 1941.[3]
During I-66′s stay at Penang, the commander of Submarine Division 30 transferred his flag to her.[3] On 9 February 1942, she set out from Penang to begin her third war patrol, during which she was to patrol in the Indian Ocean off Ceylon.[3] On 14 February 1942 at 08:17, while she was operating east of Trincomalee, Ceylon, she torpedoed the British 2,076-gross register ton Straits Steamship Company steamer Kamuning — which was carrying a cargo of rice from Rangoon to Colombo, Ceylon — at 08°35′N081°44′E / 8.583°N 81.733°E / 8.583; 81.733.[3] She then surfaced and opened fire on Kamuning with her deck gun.[3] Six of Kamuning′s 69-member crew were killed.[3] The disabled steamer remained afloat, but while under tow to Trincomalee she sank at 08°35′N081°26′E / 8.583°N 81.433°E / 8.583; 81.433 (SS Kamuning).[3]I-66 returned to Penang on 2 March 1942.[3]
March–May 1942
On 15 March 1942, I-66 departed Penang for Sasebo, where she arrived on 28 March 1942.[3] She departed Sasebo on 15 May 1942 bound for Kwajalein, deploying in support of Operation MI, the planned invasion of Midway Atoll.[3][5][6][7] During her voyage, she was renumbered I-166 on 20 May 1942.[3] She arrived at Kwajalein on 24 May 1942.[3]
After the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto, ordered Komatsu to interpose his submarines between the retreating Japanese fleet and the opposing United States Navyaircraft carriers,[8] the Japanese submarines, including I-166, began a gradual movement to the north-northwest, moving at 3 knots (5.6km/h; 3.5mph) by day and 14 knots (26km/h; 16mph) after dark.[8]I-166 made no contact with enemy forces during the battle,[3][8] and her patrol concluded with her arrival at Sasebo on 26 June 1942.[3]
June–August 1942
I-166 underwent an overhaul while at Sasebo.[3] During her stay, Submarine Squadron 5 was disbanded on 10 July 1942 and her division, Submarine Division 30, was reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet.[3] With her overhaul complete, she departed Sasebo on 22 July 1942 bound for Penang, where she arrived on 6 August 1942.[3]
Fifth war patrol
I-166 began her fifth war patrol on 11 August 1942, departing Penang for an operating area in the Indian Ocean.[3] During the patrol she reported sinking two Allied merchant ships, on 16 and 17 August 1942.[3] She returned to Penang on 31 August 1942.[3]
Sixth war patrol
On 18 September 1942, I-166 set out from Penang for her sixth war patrol, bound for an operating area in the Indian Ocean.[3] She attacked an unidentified Allied merchant ship on 29 September 1942, but her torpedoes missed and the ship escaped.[3] On 1 October 1942, she landed three Indian National Army agents on Ceylon.[3] Later that day, she attacked the Panamanian 1,201-gross register ton armed merchant ship Camila with gunfire at 13:10 at 08°10′N077°41′E / 8.167°N 77.683°E / 8.167; 77.683 (Camila).[3] The attack set Camila on fire and she was beached, becoming a total loss.[3]I-166 returned to Penang on 11 October 1942.[3]
Seventh war patrol
I-166 departed Penang on 5 November 1942 to begin her seventh war patrol, again in the Indian Ocean.[3] She attacked an unidentified Allied merchant ship in the Arabian Sea on 13 November 1942, but scored no hits, and the ship escaped.[3] On 23 November 1942, while in the Arabian Sea south of Cape Comorin, India, she torpedoed the British 5,332-gross register ton armed merchant ship Cranfield, which was on a voyage from Calcutta to Suez, Egypt.[3]Cranfield sank at 08°26′N076°42′E / 8.433°N 76.700°E / 8.433; 76.700 (Cranfield) with the loss of nine lives; there were 67 survivors.[3]I-166 returned to Penang on 28 November 1942.[3]
Eighth war patrol
On 5 December 1942, I-166 left Penang for her eighth war patrol, assigned an operating area in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Australia.[3] Soon after she left, she received orders to divert from her patrol to bombard Cocos Island.[3] She shelled the island on 25 December 1942, but otherwise saw no action, and concluded her patrol by arriving at Surabaya, Java, on 27 December 1942.[3]
January–July 1943
I-166 soon departed Surabaya bound for Sasebo, where she arrived on 19 January 1943.[3] She was drydocked there. With repairs and an overhaul complete, she departed Sasebo in early July 1943 and proceeded to Surabaya, which she reached in mid-July 1943.[3]
Ninth and tenth war patrols
Not long after her arrival at Surabaya, I-166 embarked on her ninth war patrol, assigned an operating area in the Indian Ocean between Fremantle, Australia, and Lombok Strait.[3] The patrol was uneventful and concluded with her arrival at Balikpapan, Borneo, on 10 September 1943.[3] On 11 September 1943 she departed Balikpapan bound for Singapore, where she arrived on 13 September 1943.[3] Reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet, she got underway from Singapore on 23 September 1943 and arrived at Penang on 25 September 1943.[3]
On 9 October 1943, I-166 departed Penang and, after refueling at Sabang on the northern coast of Sumatra, headed into the Indian Ocean for her tenth war patrol.[3] In late October 1943 she attacked an unidentified Allied merchant ship off Colombo, Ceylon, but scored no hits.[3] She returned to Penang on 13 November 1943.[3]
Eleventh and twelfth war patrols
I-166 began her eleventh war patrol on 7 December 1943, getting underway from Penang for an operating area in the Indian Ocean.[3] She diverted from her patrol duties on 24 December 1943 to participate in Operation YO by landing six Indian National Army agents — all Ceylonese natives — at Kirinda on the west coast of Ceylon.[3] British counterintelligence had detected the operation, which ended in failure when all six agents were captured soon after coming ashore; all six later were executed.[3] Meanwhile, I-166 proceeded to a patrol area in the vicinity of Eight Degree Channel.[3] She made no attacks on shipping, and returned to Penang on 9 January 1944.[3]
Departing Penang on 7 February 1944, I-166 conducted her twelfth war patrol in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.[3] On 19 February 1944, she fired two torpedoes at the British 6,943-gross register ton armed tankerBritish Fusilier, but both missed and British Fusilier escaped.[3]I-166 returned to Penang on 13 March 1944.[3]
March–July 1944
On 25 March 1944, I-166′s division, Submarine Division 3, was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 8.[3] On 27 April 1944, she got underway to carry out a supply mission, Operation RI, and she returned to Penang on 1 June 1944.[3] On the afternoon of 16 July 1944, she departed Penang to rendezvous with Vice AdmiralTakeo Kurita′s First Diversion Attack Force at Lingga Roads so that she and the submarine I-37 could serve as antisubmarine warfare targets for Japanese destroyers during 2nd Fleet exercises.[3]
Loss
On 17 July 1944, the Royal Navy submarine HMSTelemachus was on patrol at periscope depth in the Strait of Malacca7 nautical miles (13km; 8.1mi) southeast of One Fathom Bank in limited visibility when at 07:08 she sighted I-166 heading toward her on the surface at a range of 4 nautical miles (7.4km; 4.6mi), bearing 325 degrees, and making an estimated 18 knots (33km/h; 21mph).[3]Telemachus also established sound contact on I-166 shortly afterwards.[3] At 0720, Telemachus fired six torpedoes at a range of 1,500 yards (1,370m), Telemachusbroaching briefly because the torpedoes were of a new, heavier type than Telemachus′s crew was accustomed to firing.[3] After 92 seconds, one torpedo hit I-166′s stern, causing a violent explosion.[3]I-166 sank in 130 feet (40m) of water at 02°48′N101°03′E / 2.800°N 101.050°E / 2.800; 101.050 (I-166).[3] Ten members of her crew were blown overboard and survived.[3] The other 88 men on board were killed.[3]
I-58, later I-158, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD3A sub-class commissioned in 1928. During World War II, she supported Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya in December 1941 and was instrumental in tracking Force Z, the two British capital ships that attempted to intercept the Japanese invasion forces, so they could be sunk by torpedo bombers. She sank four Dutch merchant ships in early 1942 during the Dutch East Indies campaign and then was transferred to the Central Pacific in May 1942 to support the fleet during the Battle of Midway in early June 1942. Upon her return to Japan in July 1942, she became a training ship until early 1945 when she was modified to serve as a carrier for kaiten manned suicide attack torpedoes. She surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war and was scuttled in 1946.
I-10 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type A1 submarine that served during World War II. Designed as a submarine aircraft carrier, she was commissioned in 1941 and supported the attack on Pearl Harbor, operated in the Indian Ocean — including support for the 1942 midget submarine attack on Diego Suarez — and in the New Caledonia and New Zealand areas, and took part in the Guadalcanal campaign and Marianas campaign before she was sunk in 1944 during her seventh war patrol.
Ro-106 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in December 1942, she served in World War II, operating in the Solomon Islands campaign, New Guinea campaign, and central Pacific Ocean. She was sunk in May 1944 during her eleventh war patrol.
I-159, originally I-59, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD3B sub-class in commission from 1930 to 1945. During World War II, she made two war patrols in the Indian Ocean, took part in the Battle of Midway, and served as a training submarine before ending the war as a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier. She surrendered at the end of the war and was scuttled in 1946.
Ro-110 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in July 1943, she served in World War II, operating in the Indian Ocean. She was sunk in February 1944 during her third war patrol.
I-65, later renumbered I-165, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai type cruiser submarine commissioned in 1932. A KD5 sub-class submarine, she served during World War II, supporting Japanese forces in the invasion of Malaya and the Dutch East Indies campaign, participating in the Battle of Midway, and patrolling in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean before she was sunk in 1945. In 1944, her crew committed a war crime, massacring the survivors of the merchant ship Nancy Moller.
I-54, later I-154, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD3A sub-class commissioned in 1927. During World War II, she condcuted three war patrols, supporting Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya in December 1941 and the Dutch East Indies campaign in early 1942, then was assigned to training duties until she was decommissioned in 1944. She was scuttled in 1946.
I-53, later I-153, later I-153, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD3A sub-class commissioned in 1927. During World War II, she supported Japanese forces during the invasion of British Malaya in December 1941 and the Dutch East Indies campaign in early 1942. She served as a training submarine until she was hulked in January 1944. She surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war in 1945. She was either scuttled in 1946 or scrapped in 1948.
I-56, later I-156, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD3B sub-class commissioned in 1929. During World War II, she supported Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya in December 1941, the Dutch East Indies campaign in early 1942, and the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Except for brief service in the Aleutian Islands campaign in 1943, she subsequently served on training duties until selected for use as a kaiten manned suicide torpedo carrier in 1945. She surrendered to the Allies in 1945 after the end of the war and was scuttled in 1946.
I-57, later I-157, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine commissioned in 1929. During World War II, she supported Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya in December 1941, the Dutch East Indies campaign in early 1942, and the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She then served on training duties — except for a brief period of participation in the Aleutian Islands campaign in 1943 — until she was converted into a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier in 1945. She surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war in 1945 and was scuttled in 1946.
I-16 was one of five Type C cruiser submarines of the C1 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy, Commissioned in 1940, she deployed a midget submarine for the attack on Pearl Harbor and for an attack on ships at Diego-Suarez in Madagascar, conducted an anti-shipping patrol in the Indian Ocean, and took part in the Guadalcanal campaign, New Guinea campaign, and Bougainville campaign before she was sunk in May 1944.
I-62, later I-162, was a Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD4 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s and completed in 1930. She served throughout World War II, supporting the Japanese invasion of Malaya, taking part in the Battle of Midway, carrying out diversionary operations in support of the evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal, and conducting war patrols in the Indian Ocean. Late in the war, she became involved in supporting and training for kaiten suicide attack torpedo operations. She surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war in 1945, and the United States Navy scuttled her in 1946.
I-64 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD4 sub-class commissioned in 1930. During World War II, she supported the Japanese invasion of Malaya and conducted war patrols in the Indian Ocean before she was sunk in May 1942 while deploying to take part in the upcoming Battle of Midway. Just after her loss, and before her loss became known to the Japanese, she was renumbered I-164.
I-71, later I-171, was a Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD6 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the 1930s. She served in World War II, and took part in operations supporting the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, and the Aleutian Islands campaign. She was sunk in February 1944.
I-18 was one of five Type C cruiser submarines of the C1 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. During World War II, she operated as the mother ship for a midget submarine during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the attack of Diego-Suarez, conducted a war patrol in the Indian Ocean, and served in the Guadalcanal campaign before she was sunk in February 1943.
I-32 was an Imperial Japanese Navy B1 type submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1942, she served in World War II, operating in the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean and supporting Japanese forces in the New Guinea campaign and the Guadalcanal campaign before she was sunk in March 1944.
Ro-105 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in March 1943, she served in World War II, operating in the Aleutian Islands campaign, New Guinea campaign, and Solomon Islands campaign and in the vicinity of Truk, Rabaul, and the Admiralty Islands before she was sunk in May 1944 during her fourth war patrol.
Ro-111 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in July 1943, she served in World War II, operating in the Indian Ocean — where she sank a cargo ship and a troopship — and off the Admiralty Islands in the Pacific Ocean. She was sunk in June 1944 during her fifth war patrol.
Ro-113 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in October 1943, she served in World War II, operating off the Admiralty Islands, in the Indian Ocean — where she sank the last Allied ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during World War II — and off the Philippine Islands. She was sunk in February 1945.
Ro-115 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in November 1943, she served in World War II, operating in the central Pacific Ocean, the New Guinea campaign, the Indian Ocean, and off the Philippine Islands. She was sunk in February 1945 during her fifth war patrol.
References
Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-962-6.
Carpenter, Dorr B. & Polmar, Norman (1986). Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1904–1945. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-396-6.
Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-146-7.
Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Reviseded.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-59114-119-2.
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