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| IJN Junsen Type J1 2,135 Tons (surfaced) 2,791 Tons (submerged) 319' x 30' x 16.5' 2 x 140mm guns, fore and aft (in January 1943 the aft gun was replaced with a Daihatsu barge) 6x 533mm torpedo tubes 20 x Type 95 Torpedoes  IJN prewar  Russell Clark c1943      U.S. Army Feb 11, 1943  Justin Taylan 2003  Tom McLeod 2005 |
Sub History Built by Kawasaki at Kobe. Laid down March 12, 1923 as a Junsen J1 type submarine. Launched October 15, 1924 as Submarine Cruiser No. 74. On November 1, 1924 renamed I-1. Completed in late February 1926 and underwent acceptance trials in the Inland Sea off Awaji Island. Commissioned March 10, 1926 in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) under the command of LtCdr Atsushi Kasuga attached to Yokosuka Naval District. On August 1, 1926 assigned to Submarine Division 7 (SubDiv 7), SubRon 2, Second Fleet with I-2. On July 29, 1927 placed under the command of LtCdr Sueaki Kasuga. On November 28, 1928 at 10:35am returning to Yokosuka in poor visibility and heavy seas, ran aground and sustains minor damage. Afterwards, dry docked at Yokosuka for a hull inspection and repairs. On December 10, 1928 placed under the command of LtCdr Motoji Nakamura. On November 5, 1929 begins modernization with engine and battery replacement completed ten days later and placed under the command of LtCdr Shiro Sato. On November 23, 1941 in the afternoon departs Yokosuka and stops overnight at Tateyama Bight then departs across the Pacific on the surface bound for Hawaii. On December 6, 1941 arrives at her patrol area at the western end of the Kauai Channel between Oahu and Kauai and is ordered to reconnoiter and attack any warships that leave Pearl Harbor. Wartime History On December 7, 1941 at 7:30am in the Kauai Channel spots a E13A Jake returning to Tone after a reconaissance flight over Lahaina Roads. Over the next several days spotted by U.S. planes and repeatedly attacked without sustaining any damage. On December 10, 1941 at 5:30am spots aircraft carrier USS Enterprise roughly 24 nautical miles off Kahala Point on Kauai but was forced to submerged and unable to report the sighting for 12 hours. On December 27, 1941 ordered to shell Hilo Harbor three days later and departs for the mission. On December 30, 1941 arrives off Hilo and conducts a periscope reconassiance and spots a small transport actually USS Hulbert (AVD-6). After sundown surfaces and fires ten high explosive shells at the ship and claims moderate damage and the ship returns fire plus coastal guns. In fact, only one shell hit the pier next to the ship and another starts a fire in the vicinity of Hilo Airport. On January 7, 1942 south of Kauai Channel chases a transport and attacks but fails to score any hits. On January 9, 1942 departs the Hawaii area and joins in the search for USS Lexington (CV-2) spotted by I-18. PARTIAL HISTORY On August 1, 1942 returns to Yokosuka. At the Navy Yard during late August 1942 or early September 1942 modified to remove the aft 140mm deck gun and modified to mount a waterproofed Daihatsu landing barge to the rear of the conning tower. Afterwards, participates in exercises with the Maizuru 4th Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) detachment designated as Special Landing Unit (S-Tokuriku) that plans to attack Espiritu Santo. On September 8, 1942 departs Yokosuka with I-2, I-3, I-4 and I-5 and arrives six days later at Truk. On October 1, 1942 at 6:30pm departs Rabaul towing a Daihatsu landing barge bound for Goodenough Island to rescue Japanese personnel from the Sasebo 5th Special Naval Landing Force (Sasebo 5th SNLF) stranded after their barges were disabled by strafing by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-40E Kittyhawks. Aboard is the barge crew of three, s food and ammunition. On October 3, 1942 at 10:40pm surfaced off Kilia Mission on the southwest tip of Goodenough Island and contacts the Japanese ashore, delivers the cargo and landing barge and embarks 71 wounded Japanese including the cremated ashes of 13 SNLF personnel then returns to Rabaul. On October 31, 1942 placed under the command Lieutenant Commander Eiichi Sakamoto and assumes command three days later. During January 1943 the aft 140mm deck gun was removed and replaced by a stowed Daihatsu landing barge Sinking History On January 29, 1943 during the night I-1 was patrolling off the north coast of Guadalcanal. Meanwhile, New Zealand corvettes HMNZS Kiwi (T102) and HMNZS Moa (T233) were patrolling a mile apart off Kamimbo Bay on the northwest coast of Guadalcanal. The pair made sonar contact with a target 3,000 yards away and Kiwi altered course toward the enemy and increased to full speed to attack with depth charges while the Moa kept her course and watched the sonar to coordinate the attack. Detected the phosphorescent outline of the submarine, HMNZS Kiwi dropped six depth-charges and shortly afterwards six more. The submarine was forced to the surface and made a run towards the corvette while exchanging gunfire. I-1 changed course to starboard just before HMNZS Kiwi (T102) rammed it on the port side aft of the conning tower. Numerous gunfire hits also impacted the submarine. Kiwi turned and rammed a second time. During this collision, Kiwi observed an officer on deck who was hit by machine gun fire. A third ramming damaged both vessels and HMNZS Moa (T233) took up the chase, following the submarine and continually firing its 4" gun at the target. At 11:15pm more than two hours after the first attack, the I-1 ran aground on a coral reef off Kamimbo Bay and was disabled by flooding in the rear hull and develops a list to starboard, Lt. Koreeda orders the crew to abandon ship as the submarine continues to flood and sinks at roughly Lat 9° 13S, Long 159° 40E. During the sinking, 27 crew are killed or missing. Fates of the Crew After abandoning ship, the remaining 66 crew members swum the short distance from Kamimbo Bay to the shore of Guadalcanal and join the Japanese Army ashore. The sub's chief paymaster recovered the codebooks and destroys them ashore. On February 1, 1943 during the first evacuation the survivors are rescued from Guadalcanal and transported to Rabaul. Afterwards, Naval intelligence determines the I-1 codes were likely compromised. Shipwreck On January 30, 1943 at dawn HMNZS Moa (T233) returns to Kamimbo Bay and observes the bow of the submarine above the surface. Two survivors were spotted, one is killed by machine gun fire. The other Ensign Oikawa Ko was wounded and captured and becomes a Prisoner Of War (POW). Sailors from Moa board the submarine and recover a log book and charts. Afterwards, the captured material was sent to the U.S. Navy (USN) Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) at Pearl Harbor. On February 2, 1943 at 7:00pm a Daihatsu landing barge with a group of Japanese including three crew from I-1 including Lt Koreeda and two junior officers plus eleven destroyer crew return to the submarine to demolish the bow to prevent any salvage attempt. They manage to attach two depth charges to the bow and hull and the explosion damages the bow but fail to explode the torpedoes. On February 11, 1943 the crew of Squadron 3 (MTBS 3) PT-60 under the command of Lt. Jack Searles transported U.S. Army Major General Alexander M. Patch plus an intelligence team to inspect the wreckage of I-1. During the survey a number of photographs were taken of the bow. During the inspection, PT-59 ran aground and had to be assisted off the reef. After the sinking, this shallow shipwreck was visited by Allied personnel to recover war prizes and souvenirs. The 140mm deck gun was salvaged by the Royal New Zealand Navy personnel as a war prize and later transported to New Zealand. Many other artifacts were taken by Allied crews that visited the submarine. Ewan Stevenson adds: "This wreck was very intact up to 1969 or so. My Dad snorkeled this wreck 1964-1967. It was an incredible wreck back then. In 1999 speaking with the Veuru villagers they were rightly lamenting the loss of such an attraction. They were rather chagrined at loosing out on all the tourist dollars." During the early 1970s, Australian Wally Gibbons blew up the bow section of the submarine in search of booty. Although this caused a great deal of damage (there was still one or two live torpedoes inside), the bow sections of the sub are still on-site, but opened up. The front one-third is basically destroyed with the remaining section still virtually intact. On the sand adjacent to the vessel's port side near the 15 meter level is a huge battery compartment with hundreds of wet-cell batteries in and around it. Other interesting objects to be seen include air-bank cylinders (used for discharging ballast tanks) and the huge electric motors that powered the vessel underwater. It is a simple matter to follow the debris to the main part of the wreck. At about the 18 meter level you can enter the submarine and penetrate right through to the stern. At the stern you can see the submarine's dive planes, rudder and propeller shafts. The return dive can be done on the outside. This is an excellent dive and like most of the wrecks around Honiara, the coral and fish life in the shallower sections are very good. Display The salvaged 140mm deck gun is displayed at the New Zealand Navy Museum (Torpedo Bay Navy Museum). A recovered pennant of the I-1 is part of the Museum of the Pacific collection. References In some wartime reports, the sinking of the I-1 is credited to USS Gamble (DM-15) that actually sank I-123. Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses pages 4 (I 1), 105 (index I 1) Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Japanese Submarine Casualties in World War Two (I and RO Boats) page 175 "29 Jan I-1 (Sakamoto) HMNZS Kiwi &, Moa 09-13 S, 159-37 E" Combined Fleet IJN Submarine I-1: Tabular Record of Movement 13th Fighter Command in World War II (2004) Chapter 8 - Yamamoto Mission page 138 Themes "Descending: The Solomon Islands" Dive footage of I-1 WWII History "Kiwi, Moa, and the Sinking of I-1" by Bruce Petty October 2019 [PDF] Torpedo Bay Navy Museum - Japanese I-1 Gun Contribute
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