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| IJN Type B1 submarine 357' x 31' x 16' 9" 2,584 Tons (surfaced) 3,654 Tons (submerged) 6 × 21" Torpedo tubes with 17 Type 95 Torpedoes 1 × 140mm deck gun 1 floatplane   IJN 1943 |
Sub History Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at Kobe. Laid down March 15, 1938 as Submarine No. 39. Launched September 16, 1939 as I-19. Completed April 28, 1941 and assigned to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and attached to the Yokosuka Naval District under the command of Commander Narahara Seigo. Assigned to the 6th Fleet to SubRon 1, SubDiv 2 with I-18 and I-20. On November 11, 1941 assigned to Operation Z to the advance force and becomes the flagship for SubDiv 2 under the command of Captain Imaizumi Yoshijiro. On November 20, 1941 departs Yokosuka with an E9W1 Type 96 float plane with Captain Imaizumi Yoshijiro aboard and three days later arrives Hitokappu Bay (Kasatka Bay). On November 26, 1941 departs leading a patrol unit of three submarines with I-21 and I-23 bound for Hawaii ahead of the carrier strike force. The next day, refueled at sea from a fleet oiler with I-21. Wartime History On December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, I-19 was patrolling 110 miles northeast of Oahu. Afterwards, proceeds to an area 300 miles east of Maui. On December 9, 1941 an aircraft carrier with two cruisers is spotted off Oahu headed eastward and all available submarines are ordered to pursue and sink the carrier. On December 10, 1941 attacked by carrier planes without damage. On December 14, 1941 after the unsuccessful pursuit, the submarines are ordered eastward to patrol off the west coast of the United States. The Imperial General Headquarters orders Japanese submarines to shell the west coast of the United States during the night of December 25, 1941 but was later delayed then cancelled. On December 21, 1941 while submerged, fires a torpedo at a merchant ship but misses then surfaces and undertakes a brief chase but is unable to catch the ship and breaks off the pursuit. The ship is likely Norwegian freighter Panama Express that reports it was under torpedo attack by two submarines [sic only I-19]. On December 22, 1941 off Point Arguello, 55 miles north of Santa Barbara chases HM Storey for an hour and fires two torpedoes and a third torpedo starts a hit run and was fired but all miss and the ship escapes. The bombardment of the west coast is delayed for two days. On December 24, 1941 at 6:25am submerged fires a single torpedo at schooner Barbara Olson that passes below too deep and explodes roughly 100' away causing no damage and the explosion was observed by subchaser USS Amethyst (PYC-3). At 10:40am spots SS Absaroka off Point Fermin roughly 26 miles off Point Fermin at roughly Lat 33°40'N Long 118°25'W and fires two torpedoes, one missed and the second hit the starboard no. 5 hold that tossed three sailors overboard and aboard one was crushed by timber and the ship begins settling up to her main deck and the crew lowers lifeboats and abandons ship. Responding, USS Amethyst (PYC-3) and several U.S. Army Air Force bombers arrive and drop a pattern of 32 depth charges without causing any damage. Although damaged, the cargo ship remains afloat due to her cargo of timber and is later reboarded and beached near Fort MacArthur. Later that day, Cdr Narahara reports the sinking of a medium-sized American transport. PARTAL HISTORY On September 15, 1942 at 12:50pm while running submerged, the sonar aboard I-19 reports many screws and the submarine surfaces to periscope depth but no targets are visible. At 1:50pm again raises her periscope and spots an aircraft carrier, heavy cruiser and several destroyers from Task Force 18 (TF-18) nine miles away zig zagging and begins a slow approach. At 11:20am the group changes course and the aircraft carrier, turns into the wind to recover her carrier planes. I-19 fires a spread of six torpedoes aimed at the aircraft carrier and 2:45pm two or three hit USS Wasp (CV-7) and cause fires aboard. At 2:52pm a torpedo hit USS North Carolina in her port pow. The other three missed with one hitting USS O'Brien (DD-415) and one hit USS North Carolina (BB-55). Escorting destroyers dropped 80 depth charges by Japanese submarine I-19 escaped safely. PARTAL HISTORY On April 30, 1943 torpedoes and sinks SS Phoebe A. Hearst roughly 240 miles southeast of Suva at 19°48'S, 176°44'E. On May 2, 1943 torpedoes SS William Williams near Suva at Lat 20°09'S, Long 178°04'W. The torpedo causes a 40' x 30' hole in the port side and most of the crew deploy life boats. Believing the ship was sinking, I-19 departs. In fact, there were no casualties aboard and Captain William Robinson Freeman Sr and a small portion of the crew remain aboard to fight fires in two compartments and transmitted a message distress signal that they were sinking rapidly, in hopes the submarine would intercept the message. Afterwards, the crew reboards, make steam and return to Suva aided by USS Catalpa (AN-10). Sinking History On November 25, 1943 at 8:49pm while 50 miles west of Makin Island spotted on radar by USS Radford (DD-446) but looses contact when the submarine submerged. At 9:40pm the destroyer again makes contact and conducts seven depth charge attacks that sink I-19 at roughly Lat 3° 10' N, Long 171° 55E. On February 2, 1944 presumed lost with all 105 crew in the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati). On April 1, 1944 officially removed from the Navy list. References Combined Fleet - HIJMS Submarine I-19: Tabular Record of Movement Contribute
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