I-168 submarine.

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aukepalmhof
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I-168 submarine.

Post by aukepalmhof » Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:24 pm

Built as a submarine by the Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
18 June 1931 laid down.
26 June 1933 launched as the I-68. She was one of the KD6A type class of submarines of which 8 were built.
Displacement 1.785 tons surface, 2.440 tons submerged. Dim. 104.7 x 8.2 x 4.6m. (draught).
Powered by two Kampon MK 1A model 8 diesel engines, 9,000 hp and 2 electric motors, 1,800 hp, twin shafts, speed surface 23 knots, submerged 8.25 knots.
Fuel 341 tons.
Range by a speed of 10 knots on the surface 14,000 miles.
Armament 4 – 533m torpedo tubes forward and 2 x 533 torpedo tubes at the stern, carried 14 torpedoes. 1 – 10cm deck gun.
Diving depth maximum 75 meter.
Crew 70.
31 July 1934 commissioned.

Based at the Kure Naval District.
The class was a faster than their predecessors and at that time she were the fastest submarine in the world.
25 July 1941 under command of Comdr. Nakamura Otoji.
23 November 1941 she departs from Kwajalien bound for the waters off Hawaii to perform reconnaissance duties in preparation for the impending attack on Pearl Harbor.
02 December she received the code signal “Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mount Niitaka) 1208”, which informs her that the hostilities commence on 07 December 1941.
On that day she patrolled the waters 25 miles sw of Oahu.
13 December she patrols the waters off Hawaii and was subjected to 21 separate depth charge attacks on that day and later, the attacks wreck many of her batteries and she got flooding in her aft torpedo tubes.
31 December she returns to Japan.
09 January 1942 arrived at Kure for repair.

20 May 1942 she is renumbered in I-168.
23 May under command of Comdr. Tanabe Yahachi she left Kure for her second war patrol in the waters off Midway.
02 June her arrived of Midway and made her first periscope reconnaissance of Sand Island, in which Yahachi reported unusually frequent patrol aircraft launches.
04 June she made periscope observations during the first Japanese air attack on Midway.
Later that day she received orders to commence shelling the airfield on Eastern Island. Midway.
05 June at 01.24 she surfaces within 1,100 yards sw of Midway and opened fire, she fires six shells but did not inflict any damage. She withdrew when she came under fire of U.S.A. Marine forces.
Thereafter she was briefly chased and depth charged by an American patrol vessel.

After the crippled aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN was spotted by Japanese floatplane, she was ordered to sink the carrier.
She was running on the surface full speed towards the YORKTOWN she was attacked by a Catalina patrol plane, but the I-168 she dives and escape.
06 June at 04.10 she sighted the YORKTOWN about 12 miles away. And at 06.00 they spotted the first destroyer. He submerges and slows down to three knots. The YORKTOWN got six destroyers circling and protecting the carrier.
USS HAMMANN was alongside the YORKTOWN on the starboard side and provides power for the carrier’s pumps and for fighting the still burning fires on board the carrier.

The I-168 skilfully makes her approach to the carrier, and undetected he penetrated the destroyer screen.
At 13.32 he fires two torpedoes from 1500 yards, three seconds more an other two torpedoes, the first hit the HAMMANN which break her back which sinks her in about four minutes. When she goes down her depth charges exploding and kills 81 men.
At 13.36 two torpedoes hit the YORKTOWN starboard side below the bridge, the other missed.

The same time the American destroyer commence a counter attack, a destroyer who passed over the submerged submarine dropt two depth charges, after more attacks the I-168 got flooding in the torpedo room and manoeuvring room, her battery cells are extensively damaged.
At 1640 when her batteries are almost exhausted the I-168 surfaced and found out that the destroyers were away about five miles and with the best speed the I-168 disappeared from the scene.
She was sighted by the destroyers and one fired intermittently at her. Some emergency repairs were carried out and fixed where after she dived again. She escaped after some 40 depth charge attacks.

07 June low on fuel she slowly sails for Japan arriving in Yokosuka with almost empty tanks, for refuelling. Then she proceeds to Kure for repairs.

31 August 1942 her repairs completed and she left from Sasebo, Japan under command of Lieutenant Commander Katsuji Watanabe. She was reassigned to cargo transportation missions to the beleaguered Solomon Islands and Kiska.

25 July 1943 she departs Truk for Rabaul.
She sends till 27 July regular situation reports while sailing in the Isabel Strait.
That day at dusk she sighted around 17.54 an surfaced enemy submarine in the Steffen Strait between New Ireland and New Hanover. The I-168 fires a torpedo at the submarine but missed, the USS SCAMP which she missed spotted the incoming torpedo. LtCdr. Walter E. Ebert the skipper of the boat gives full ahead and crass dives. He dives to 220 feet before levelling off and the torpedo of the I-168 passed overhead.
Then he returned to periscope depth and at 18.12 he fires four torpedoes at I-168 that sinks her 60 miles off New Hanover in a position 02 05S, 149 01E.
The I-168 was lost with all hands, 97 crew members lost there life.

(The stamp shows the submarine surfaced which was not the case, also when she launched her torpedoes from that position she hardly could hit the HAMMANN.)

Uganda 1992 200s sg1060, scott975j.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_submarine_I-168 http://www.combinedfleet.com?i-168.htm and various other web-sites.
Attachments
tmp102.jpg
I-68.jpg

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