Japanese_submarine_I-61

Japanese submarine <i>I-61</i>

Japanese submarine I-61

Japanese submarine

I-61 was a Kaidai-class cruiser submarine of the KD4 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s. She sank in an October 1941 collision,[2] just prior to Japan's entry into World War II.

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Construction and commissioning

The first unit of the KD4 sub-class, I-61 was built by Mitsubishi at Kobe, Japan. Her keel was laid on 15 November 1926 and she was launched on 12 November 1927. She was completed on 6 April 1929.

Service history

Upon completion, I-61 was assigned to the Sasebo Naval District.[3] On 24 April 1929, she and her sister ship, the submarine I-62, combined to form Submarine Division 29,[3][4][5][6] in which I-61 spent her entire career.[3] The division was attached to the Sasebo Naval District.[3]

Submarine Division 29 was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet in the Combined Fleet on 1 December 1930.[3] I-61 apparently was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 11 January 1932,[6] and was transferred to the Sasebo Defense Division in the Sasebo Naval District on 10 November 1932,[3] and then to Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet in the Combined Fleet on 15 November 1933.[3] She was recommissioned on 1 June 1934.[3] On 27 September 1934, she departed Ryojun, Manchukuo, in company with I-62 and the submarines I-56, I-57, I-58, I-64, I-65, I-66, and I-67 for a training cruise off Qingdao, China.[3][4][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The nine submarines completed the cruise with their arrival at Sasebo on 5 October 1934.[3][4][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

On 7 February 1935, I-61 departed Sasebo in company with the other eight submarines of Submarine Squadron 2 — I-53, I-54, I-55, I-59, I-60, I-62, I-63, and I-64 — for a training cruise in the Kuril Islands.[3][4][10][14][15][16][17][18][19] The cruise concluded with their arrival at Sukumo Bay on 25 February 1935.[3][4][10][14][15][16][17][18][19] The nine submarines departed Sasebo on 29 March 1935 to train in Chinese waters, returning to Sasebo on 4 April 1935.[3][4][10][14][15][16][17][18][19] On 15 November 1935, Submarine Division 29 was reassigned to the Sasebo Defense Squadron in the Sasebo Naval District.[3]

On 1 December 1936, I-61 again was assigned to Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet,[3] and on 15 December 1938 she was reassigned to the Submarine School at Kure.[3] On 11 March 1939, I-61 suffered damage in a collision with the Japanese destroyer Yakaze off Mitajiri, Japan.[3][5] Her Submarine School service ended when she was decommissioned and transferred to the Third Reserve in the Sasebo Naval District;[3] sources claim that this took place both on 15 November 1939[3] and on 20 March 1940.[3][6]

On either 15 April 1940 or 15 November 1940,[3] I-61 was recommissioned, and on 15 November 1940 she was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 5 in the Combined Fleet.[3] On 8 January 1941, she collided with the gunboat Kōshū Maru south of Cape Ashizuki, Japan.[3][5]

Loss

On 2 October 1941, with the commander of Submarine Division 29 on board, I-61 departed Sasebo with the submarine tender Rio de Janeiro Maru bound for a fleet gathering point at Murokusumi in Yamaguchi Prefecture. In the Koshiki Channel that evening, the Japanese gunboat Kiso Maru mistook a red light she saw I-61 displaying aft of Rio de Janeiro Maru for that of a smaller vessel and misjudged her passing distance behind I-61. She collided with I-61 around 23:21. I-61 sank quickly, with the loss of all 71 men on board.[2][5][20]

On 20 January 1942 or in February 1942,[3] I-61′s wreck was refloated, and it was sold for scrapping in 1942. I-61 was struck from the naval register on 1 April 1942.

References

Footnotes

  1. [1]
    もしくは10ktで10,000海里（『写真 日本の軍艦 第12巻 潜水艦』p57の表より）(in Japanese)
  2. [2]
    [#昭和天皇実録八巻]493頁(伊号潜水艦沈没事件)この脚注はこのページ上で2回使用されています。(in Japanese)
  3. [3]
    I-61 ijnsubsite.com August 24, 2018 Accessed 28 September 2020
  4. [4]
    "I-162 ex I-62". iijnsubsite.info. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  5. [5]
    『ハンディ版 日本海軍艦艇写真集19巻』72頁。この脚注はこのページ上で4回使用されています。(in Japanese)
  6. [6]
    『艦長たちの軍艦史』428頁。この脚注はこのページ上で3回使用されています。(in Japanese)
  7. [7]
    I-156 ijnsubsite.com October 15, 2018 Accessed 17 January 2021
  8. [8]
    I-157 ijnsubsite.com 16 October 2018 Accessed 23 January 2021
  9. [9]
    I-158 ijnsubsite.com 20 October 2018 Accessed 24 January 2021
  10. [10]
    "I-164 ex I-64". iijnsubsite.info. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  11. [11]
    "I-165 ex I-65". iijnsubsite.info. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  12. [12]
    "I-166 ex I-66". iijnsubsite.info. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  13. [13]
    I-67 ijnsubsite.com September 14, 2018 Accessed 28 September 2020
  14. [14]
    I-153 ijnsubsite.com September 19, 2018 Accessed 15 January 2021
  15. [15]
    I-154 ijnsubsite.com October 11, 2018 Accessed 15 January 2021
  16. [16]
    I-155 ijnsubsite.com June 10, 2018 Accessed 15 January 2021
  17. [17]
    I-159 ijnsubsite.com September 1, 2018 Accessed 9 January 2022
  18. [18]
    "I-60". iijnsubsite.info. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  19. [19]
    "I-63". iijnsubsite.info. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  20. [20]
    『日本海軍の潜水艦 - その系譜と戦歴全記録』103頁。(in Japanese)

Bibliography

  • 海軍歴史保存会『日本海軍史』第7巻、第9巻、第10巻、第一法規出版、1995年。(in Japanese)
  • 勝目純也『日本海軍の潜水艦 - その系譜と戦歴全記録』大日本絵画、2010年。(in Japanese)
  • 宮内庁編『昭和天皇実録　第八　昭和十五年至昭和十七年』東京書籍株式会社、2016年3月。ISBN 978-4-487-74408-4。(in Japanese)
  • 外山操『艦長たちの軍艦史』光人社、2005年。 ISBN 4-7698-1246-9 (in Japanese)
  • 雑誌「丸」編集部『写真 日本の軍艦 第12巻 潜水艦』光人社、1990年。ISBN 4-7698-0462-8 (in Japanese)
  • 雑誌「丸」編集部『ハンディ版 日本海軍艦艇写真集19巻』潜水艦伊号、光人社、1997年。(in Japanese)
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