Upon commissioning, I-45 was attached formally to the Yokosuka Naval District and was assigned to Submarine Squadron 11 for workups in the Iyo-nada in the Seto Inland Sea.[1] She called at the Tokuyama Fuel Depot from 22 to 23 February 1944 to refuel.[1]
First war patrol
On 25 March 1944, I-45 was reassigned to Submarine Division 15 in the 6th Fleet.[1] She departed Kure, Japan, that day to begin her first war patrol, assigned a patrol area in the Pacific Ocean east of the Marshall Islands.[1]
Although she survived the attack, I-45 had suffered heavy damage, forcing her to return to Japan.[1] She reached Yokosuka, Japan, on 15 April 1944[1] and in late April began repairs at Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure which lasted until late May 1944.[1]
Marianas campaign
On 12 June 1944, U.S. landings on Saipan began both the Battle of Saipan and the Marianas campaign, and on 13 June the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, AdmiralSoemu Toyoda, activated Operation A-Go for the defense of the Mariana Islands.[1] On 28 June 1944, I-45 departed Yokosuka in company with the submarine I-55 bound for Tinian in the Marianas and carrying an Unkato cargo container[1] — a 135-foot (41.1m) submersible cargo container that could carry up to 377 tons of supplies, designed for a one-way trip in which the cargo′s recipients released, recovered, and unloaded it[3] — loaded with weapons and ammunition.[1] Encountering heavy seas during her voyage,[1] she was redirected to Guam to pick up Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilots who were stranded there.[1] She attempted to contact Japanese forces ashore on Guam on both 14 and 16 July 1944 to deliver her Unkato and pick up the airmen, but failed on each occasion because of a communications mix-up.[1] After the second failure, she dumped the Unkato container overboard and headed back to Japan.[1] She arrived at Yokosuka on 27 July 1944, and later moved to Kure.[1]
Second 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]I-45 departed Kure on the same day to begin her second war patrol, assigned a patrol area in the Philippine Sea.[1] U.S. forces landed on Leyte in the Philippines on 20 October 1944, beginning both the Battle of Leyte and the Philippines campaign, and the Japanese naval reaction to the invasion resulted in the Battle of Leyte Gulf of 23–26 October 1944.[1] On 24 October 1944, the second day of the battle, I-45 and the submarines I-26, I-37, I-53, I-54, and I-56 were designated Submarine Group A under the direct command of the commander-in-chief of the 6th Fleet, Vice AdmiralShigeyoshi Miwa,[1] and I-45 received orders to move to patrol station "Re" off the northeast coast of Mindanao.[1]
At 03:25 a large underwater explosion occurred, apparently from the sunken Eversole, killing about 30 survivors in the water and injuring others.[1] The explosion alerted Richard S. Bull, which arrived on the scene and began a rescue operation while the destroyer escort USSWhitehurst(DE-634), which had been detached from the screen of a passing fleet oiler unit, provided antisubmarine cover.[1] By 06:30, Richard S. Bull had pulled the last of 139 survivors from the water, three of whom later died.[1] Including them, Eversole′s crew suffered 77 dead in the sinking.[1]
Meanwhile, at 05:45 Whitehurst detected a submerged submarine — probably I-45 — on sonar 85 nautical miles (157km; 98mi) northeast of Siargao, about 50 nautical miles (93km; 58mi) from the site of Eversole′s sinking.[1] After Whitehurst made three unsuccessful Hedgehog attacks,[1] the submarine — which Whitehurst′s commanding officer later described as displaying "excellent evasive tactics and maneuverability,"[1] continually turning away from attacks and presenting her stern and wake to Whitehurst[1] — tried to escape at a depth of 225 feet (69m).[1] At 06:48, Whitehurst conducted a fourth Hedgehog attack, which this time resulted in five or six small explosions, followed by a large underwater explosion that disabled Whitehurst′s sound gear and heavy rumbling noises.[1]Whitehurst resumed her search for the submarine at 07:20 and noted a large amount of oil on the surface as well as wood and other debris, some of which her motorwhaleboat recovered.[1] She suspended her search at 12:15.[1] The explosions, oil, and debris marked the sinking of the submarine, presumably I-45, at 10°10′N127°28′E / 10.167°N 127.467°E / 10.167; 127.467 (I-45).[1]
The 6th Fleet issued orders to I-45 on 5 November 1944 to move to a new patrol area east of Lamon Bay, but she never acknowledged them.[1] On 2 December 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared I-45 to be presumed lost off the Philippines with the loss of all 104 men aboard.[1] She was stricken from the Navy list on 10 March 1945.[1]
The second I-55 was one of three Type C cruiser submarines of the C3 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in April 1944, she was lost in July 1944 while taking part in the Marianas campaign during World War II.
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-46 was the first of three Type C cruiser submarines of the C2 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in February 1944, she operated in World War II during the Battle of Leyte and Battle of Leyte Gulf before she was lost in October 1944.
I-40 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B2 submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1943, she served in World War II and disappeared after departing for her first war patrol in November 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.
I-42 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B2 submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1943, she served in World War II and was sunk during her first war patrol in March 1944.
I-43 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B2 submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1943, she served in World War II and was sunk during her first deployment in February 1944.
The second I-54 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B3 submarine. Completed and commissioned in March 1944, she served in World War II and took part in the Marianas campaign and the Philippines campaign before she was sunk in October 1944.
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-44 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type B2 submarine. Completed and commissioned in January 1944, she served in the late stages of World War II, she conducted war patrols in the Pacific Ocean as a conventional submarine before she was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier. She then conducted kaiten operations during the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa before she was sunk in April 1945.
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-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-41 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū type submarine of the K6 sub-class. Completed and commissioned in November 1943, she served in World War II and conducted six war patrols, sinking a destroyer escort USS Shelton (DE-407) on one of them, before she was sunk in March 1945.
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-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-108 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in April 1943, she served in World War II, operating in the Solomon Islands campaign, the New Guinea campaign — during which she sank the United States Navy destroyer USS Henley (DD-391) — and off the Admiralty Islands. She was sunk in May 1944 during her fifth war patrol.
Ro-112 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Ro-100-class submarine. Completed and commissioned in September 1943, she served in World War II, operating off Australia, in the Netherlands East Indies, and off the Admiralty Islands and the Philippine Islands. She was sunk in February 1945 during her eighth war patrol.
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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