Upon commissioning, I-44 was assigned to Submarine Squadron 11 in the 6th Fleet.[1] Once her workups were complete, she called at the Tokuyama Fuel Depot from 28 to 29 March 1944 to refuel.[1]
First war patrol
On 31 March 1944, I-44 and the submarines I-183, Ro-47, Ro-116, and Ro-117 received orders to deploy in the Pacific Ocean east of Palau to intercept a Palau-bound United States Navytask force.[1] She got underway from Agenosho Bay that day, but received a recall order on 5 April 1944.[1] She arrived at Kure on 14 April 1944.[1] After her arrival at Kure, I-44 became the first Japanese submarine fitted with the Type 13 air-search radar.[1]
Operation Tatsumaki
I-44 was reassigned to Submarine Division 15 in Submarine Squadron 1 in the Advance Unit in the 6th Fleet on 28 April 1944.[1] In May 1944, she and the submarines I-36, I-38, I-41 and I-53 and the auxiliary submarine tender Tsukushi Maru began training in the Seto Inland Sea off Nasakejima for Operation Tatsumaki ("Tornado"), which called for the submarines to transport modified Type 4 Ka-Tsuamphibious tracked landing craft, each armed with two 450-millimeter (17.7in)torpedoes, from Kure to Majuro.[1][2] After the submarines launched the Ka-Tsu vehicles, the operation called for the vehicles to proceed to shore, move overland across the atoll's islands, then enter the water in the lagoon and attack Allied ships with torpedoes.[1][2] Operation Tatsumaki later was postponed pending the correction of defects found in the Ka-Tsu vehicles[3] and eventually was canceled entirely.[1]
Second war patrol
On 15 May 1944, I-44 departed Kure along with I-41 and I-53 to begin her second war patrol.[1] The three submarines were assigned to picket duty off the Bismarck Archipelago, northeast of New Ireland and north of Kavieng.[1] One source has suggested that the U.S. submarine USSPermit(SS-178) torpedoed and damaged I-44 on 26 May 1944, but Japanese sources do not confirm this.[1] Instead, while I-44 was on the surface in the Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of 27°02′N151°00′E / 27.033°N 151.000°E / 27.033; 151.000 on 27 May 1944 and operating her new air-search radar, an Allied plane surprised her and scored several near-misses;[1] Japanese historians disagree on whether the radar set was defective or its inexperienced operator made mistakes while still learning to use it properly.[1] She crash-dived, but several patrol vessels then attacked her, scoring several more near-misses.[1] She rigged for silent running, and eventually broke contact with them.[1] With her periscopes, her main switchboard, and many of her instruments damaged and a leak in her bow section, she surfaced after escaping the Allied vessels.[1] She soon sighted a U.S. Navy PB4Y-2 Privateerpatrol bomber flying nearby; unable to submerge again, she evaded the plane by escaping into a rain squall.[1] She reached Kure on 5 June 1944 and underwent repairs there.[1]
Third war patrol
The commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, activated Operation Shō-Gō 1 for the defense of the Philippine Islands on 13 October 1944.[1] With her repairs complete, I-44 got underway from Kure on 19 October 1944 for her third war patrol, assigned a patrol area east of the Philippines and off Leyte as part of Submarine Group B, which also included the submarines I-38, Ro-41, and Ro-43.[1] She was in the Bashi Channel in darkness on 20 October 1944 when an explosion in her automatic trim system pressure tank killed three members of her crew, wrecked her gyrocompass, and disabled one of her propeller shafts.[1] Forced to return to Japan for repairs, she arrived at Kure on 22 October 1944.[1]
Conversion to kaiten carrier
The last surviving Type B2 submarine, I-44 was selected for conversion to carry kaitensuicide attack torpedoes. While she was under repair, her 140-millimeter (5.5in) deck gun was removed to make room on her afterdeck for fittings to allow her to carry four kaitens abaft her conning tower and her aircraft hangar and catapult were removed from her foredeck to make room forward of her conning tower for the fittings for two more kaitens.[1] In addition, a Type 22 surface-search radar also was installed aboard her.[1]
The Japanese originally intended to assign I-44 to take part in the first operational use of kaitens, but cancelled her participation in the mission in early November 1944.[1] In early February 1945, she received orders to proceed to the kaiten base at Otsujima along with the submarines I-368 and I-370 to begin kaiten-handling training.[1]
First kaiten mission
On 19 February 1945, the Battle of Iwo Jima began with the U.S. landings on Iwo Jima.[1] That day, I-44, I-368, and I-370 were assigned to the ChihayaKaiten Group, with orders to attack Allied ships off the island.[1]I-44 was the last of the three submarines to get underway, departing Otsujima at 09:00 on 22 February 1945 for her fourth war patrol and first kaiten mission.[1] She was on the surface recharging her batteries48 nautical miles (89km; 55mi) southwest of Iwo Jima on 25 February 1945 when two or three Allied warships — which her lookouts identified as destroyers or submarine chasers — sighted her and forced her to dive.[1] She remained submerged for 47 hours, during which the carbon dioxide levels inside her reached 6 percent, before she could break contact and surface safely.[1]
I-44 reached her patrol area south of Iwo Jima late on 26 February 1945.[1] On 28 February, she attempted an approach to Iwo Jima on the surface from east of the island, but a TBF Avenger aircraft attacked her and forced her to submerge and retire.[1] Later that day, her commanding officer reported the incident and I-44′s withdrawal, but his message did not reach the commander-in-chief of the 6th Fleet, Vice AdmiralShigeyoshi Miwa.[1] On 1 March 1945, she reported her commanding officer's intention to move to the Okidaitōjima area in the Daitō Islands southeast of Okinawa, but after 6th Fleet headquarters asked her on 2 March 1945 to report her location and any success she had had against Allied ships, her reply on 3 March 1945 was a routine situation report which failed to provide the details the 6th Fleet had requested.[1]
On 6 March 1945, the 6th Fleet cancelled all submarine operations in the Iwo Jima area, and I-44 headed for Japan.[1] She disembarked her kaitens and their pilots at Otsujima on 9 March and on 11 March she arrived at Kure, where Miwa relieved her commanding officer of command.[1]
Second kaiten mission
Between 26 and 29 March 1945, U.S. forces landed in the Kerama Islands southwest of Okinawa and captured advance bases in preparation for an invasion of Okinawa itself.[1] On 27 March 1945, the TataraKaiten Group — which included I-44 and the submarines I-47, I-56, and I-58, each carrying six kaitens — was formed to attack Allied ships off Okinawa.[1] On 1 April 1945, the Battle of Okinawa began with U.S. landings on the island,[1] and on 3 April I-44 received orders to get underway for Okinawan waters as part of the Tatara Group.[1] She departed Otsujima on 4 April 1945 for her fifth war patrol and second kaiten mission, carrying the same four kaiten pilots as she had on the Chihaya Group deployment.[1] On 21 April 1945, 6th Fleet headquarters ordered her to return to Japan, but she did not reply.[1]
Loss
I-44 was lost sometime in April 1945, and the circumstances of her loss remain unknown.[1] Some Japanese historians have concluded that a hunter-killer group made up of the light aircraft carrierUSSBataan(CVL-29) and several destroyers sank I-44 on 18 April 1945, but it is more likely that the submarine sunk in the action was I-56.[1]
On 2 May 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared I-44 to be presumed lost in the Okinawa area with the loss of all 134 men aboard — 130 crewmen and four embarked kaiten pilots.[1] She was stricken from the Navy list on 10 June 1945.[1]
I-370 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in September 1944, she served in World War II and was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier in January 1945. She was sunk in February 1945 while operating during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
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.
I-47 was the second of three Type C cruiser submarines of the C2 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in July 1944, she operated as a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier during the final year of World War II. Surrendered at the end of the war, she was scuttled by the United States Navy in 1946.
The second I-53 was the second of three Type C cruiser submarines of the C3 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in February 1944, she operated primarily as a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier during the final year of World War II and sank the destroyer escort USS Underhill(DE-682). Surrendered at the end of the war, she was scuttled by the United States Navy in 1946.
I-36 was an Imperial Japanese Navy B1 type submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1942, she served in World War II, operating in the Guadalcanal campaign, New Guinea campaign, Aleutian Islands campaign, and the Marshall Islands. She finished the war as a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier, operating against Allied ships at Ulithi Atoll and in the Philippine Sea. The only submarine of her class to survive the war, she surrendered to the Allies in September 1945 after the end of the war and was scuttled by the United States Navy in 1946.
The second I-56 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B3 submarine. Completed and commissioned in June 1944, she served in the late stages of World War II and took part in the Philippines campaign at the time of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She then operated as a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier, including during the Battle of Okinawa, before she was lost in April 1945.
I-368 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in August 1944, she served in World War II and was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier in January 1945. She was sunk in February 1945 while operating during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
I-361 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in May 1944, she served in World War II and conducted transport missions between Japan and Wake Island until she was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier 1945. She was sunk during her first kaiten mission in May 1945.
I-366 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in August 1944, she served in World War II and conducted transport missions between Japan and outlying islands until she was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier. She survived the war, surrendered to Allied forces in 1945, and was scuttled in 1946.
I-367 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in August 1944, she served in World War II and conducted transport missions between Japan and outlying islands until she was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier. She survived the war, surrendered to Allied forces in 1945, and was scuttled in 1946.
Ro-43 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in December 1943, she served in World War II and was sunk in February 1945 during her fifth war patrol.
Ro-46 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in February 1944, she served in World War II, including operations related to the Marianas campaign, the Philippines campaign, and the Battle of Okinawa. She disappeared in April 1945 during her fifth war patrol.
Ro-47 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in January 1944, she served in World War II in operations related to the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign. She was sunk in September 1944 during her second war patrol.
Ro-49 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in May 1944, she served in World War II and patrolled off the Philippines and the Ryukyu Islands. She was lost during her third war patrol sometime in late March or April 1945.
Ro-50 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in July 1944, she served in World War II, conducting four war patrols, including operations off the Philippine Islands and the Ryukyu Islands. The only Kaichu-type submarine to survive the war, she surrendered in 1945 after its conclusion and was scuttled in 1946.
The second Ro-55 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in September 1944, she served in World War II and was sunk during her first war patrol in February 1945.
Ro-104 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in February 1943, she served in World War II, operating in the Aleutian Islands campaign, New Guinea campaign, and Solomon Islands campaign before she was sunk in May 1944 during her tenth 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-116 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in January 1944, she served in World War II and was sunk in May 1944 during her second war patrol.
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