Japanese submarine I-45

I-45 was laid down on 15 July 1942 by the Sasebo Naval Arsenal at Sasebo, Japan, with the name Submarine No. 375.^[1] On 5 February 1943, she was renamed I-45 and provisionally attached to the Yokosuka Naval District.^[1] She was launched on 6 March 1943^[1] and completed and commissioned on 28 December 1943.^[1]

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Sasebo Naval Arsenal

Sasebo Naval Arsenal

Sasebo Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Sasebo

Sasebo

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons per km2. The total area is 426.06 km2 (165 sq mi).

Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Yokosuka Naval District

Yokosuka Naval District

Yokosuka Naval District was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its headquarters, along with most of its installations, including the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, were located in the city of Yokosuka, which constituted the Yokosuka Naval Base.

Ceremonial ship launching

Ceremonial ship launching

Ceremonial ship launching involves the performance of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back thousands of years, to accompany the physical process with ceremonies which have been observed as public celebration and a solemn blessing, usually but not always, in association with the launch itself.

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in active duty with its country's military forces. The ceremonies involved are often rooted in centuries-old naval tradition.

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]

Alerted by Ultra intelligence information to the operations of I-44 and the submarines I-16, I-36, and I-38 between the Marshalls and Hawaii, United States Pacific Fleet Headquarters organized Task Group 11.1 — a United States Navy hunter-killer group consisting of the escort aircraft carrier USS Altamaha (CVE-18) and the destroyer escorts USS Cabana (DE-260), USS Elden (DE-264), USS Harold C. Thomas (DE-21), and USS Wileman (DE-22) — on 30 March 1944 to find and sink them.^[1][2] The group′s first success^[2] against the submarines came at 14:08 on 4 April 1944, when a TBM-1C Avenger torpedo bomber and an FM-2 Wildcat fighter of Composite Squadron 66 (VC-66) from Altamaha flying 108 nautical miles (200 km; 124 mi) west of the carrier spotted I-45 on the surface recharging her batteries 650 nautical miles (1,200 km; 750 mi) northeast of Majuro.^[1] While the Wildcat strafed I-45, the Avenger attacked her with rockets and depth charges.^[1] I-45 suffered a direct hit on her stern and developed a serious leak.^[1] I-45′s commanding officer ordered her to go to full speed astern and dive.^[1] The aircraft crews last saw I-45 settling in a large oil slick with no forward momentum and received credit for sinking a submarine.^[1] I-45, meanwhile, submerged.^[1] When her commanding officer then ordered full speed ahead, her crew lost control of her and she began a rotating dive.^[1] She reached 490 feet (149 m) before her crew could stop her descent, and she finally stabilized at 330 feet (101 m).^[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, Admiral Soemu 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 (41.1 m) 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 Admiral Shigeyoshi Miwa,^[1] and I-45 received orders to move to patrol station "Re" off the northeast coast of Mindanao.^[1]

Loss

On 29 October 1944, the destroyer escorts USS Eversole (DE-404) and USS Richard S. Bull (DE-402) were in the Philippine Sea steaming from San Pedro Bay in the Philippines to rejoin Task Unit 77.7.1 when Eversole picked up a doubtful sonar contact 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) east of Dinagat Island at 02:10.^[1] She soon lost the contact, but at 02:28, two torpedoes struck her, causing her to lose all power and take on a 30-degree list.^[1] Her crew began to abandon ship at 02:40, and in less than 15 minutes Eversole sank stern-first at 10°18′N 127°37′E / 10.300°N 127.617°E / 10.300; 127.617 (USS Eversole).^[1] I-45 surfaced at around 03:00 and circled the site of the sinking, briefly opening fire on survivors in the water with her Type 96 25mm antiaircraft gun.^[1] She dived at around 03:20.^[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 USS Whitehurst (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 (157 km; 98 mi) northeast of Siargao, about 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) 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 (69 m).^[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 motor whaleboat 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′N 127°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]

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Squadron (naval)

Squadron (naval)

A squadron, or naval squadron, is a significant group of warships which is nonetheless considered too small to be designated a fleet. A squadron is typically a part of a fleet. Between different navies there are no clear defining parameters to distinguish a squadron from a fleet, and the size and strength of a naval squadron varies greatly according to the country and time period. Groups of small warships, or small groups of major warships, might instead be designated flotillas by some navies according to their terminology. Since the size of a naval squadron varies greatly, the rank associated with command of a squadron also varies greatly.

Seto Inland Sea

Seto Inland Sea

The Seto Inland Sea , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Bay and provides a sea transport link to industrial centers in the Kansai region, including Osaka and Kobe. Before the construction of the San'yō Main Line, it was the main transportation link between Kansai and Kyūshū.

Tokuyama, Yamaguchi

Tokuyama, Yamaguchi

Tokuyama was a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

6th Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)

6th Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)

The 6th Fleet was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) that during World War II, had primary responsibility for the command of submarine operations.

Kure, Hiroshima

Kure, Hiroshima

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) named, JMSDF Kure Naval Base. As of 1 May 2015, the city has an estimated population of 228,030 and a population density of 646 persons per km2. The total area is 352.80 km2.

Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia.

Ultra

Ultra

Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. Ultra eventually became the standard designation among the western Allies for all such intelligence. The name arose because the intelligence obtained was considered more important than that designated by the highest British security classification then used and so was regarded as being Ultra Secret. Several other cryptonyms had been used for such intelligence.

Japanese submarine I-16

Japanese submarine I-16

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.

Japanese submarine I-36

Japanese submarine I-36

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.

Japanese submarine I-38

Japanese submarine I-38

I-38 was an Imperial Japanese Navy B1 type submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1943, she served in World War II, operating on supply missions in the New Guinea campaign and the Solomon Islands campaign, and conducting war patrols in the Solomons, off the Mariana Islands, and in the Philippine Sea before she was sunk in November 1944.

USS Altamaha (CVE-18)

USS Altamaha (CVE-18)

USS Altamaha (AVG-18/ACV-18/CVE-18) was an escort aircraft carrier in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for the Altamaha River in Georgia.

Destroyer escort

Destroyer escort

Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a 20-knot warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships.