Ro-32, originally named Submarine No. 71, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichu-Type submarine of the Kaichu V (Toku Chu) subclass. She was in commission from 1924 to 1938, seeing service in the waters of Formosa and Japan, then served as a stationary training hulk during World War II.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 71 |
| Builder | Kawasaki, Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 24 October 1921 |
| Launched | 19 March 1923 |
| Completed | 31 May 1924 |
| Commissioned | 31 May 1924 |
| Renamed | Ro-32 on 1 November 1924 |
| Decommissioned | 15 December 1938 |
| Stricken | 1 April 1942 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kaichū type submarine (K5 subclass) |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 74.22 m (243 ft 6 in) overall |
| Beam | 6.12 m (20 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 3.73 m (12 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 45.7 m (150 ft) |
| Crew | 44 |
| Armament |
|
Design and description
The submarines of the Kaichu V sub-class were designed for anti-shipping operations and carried more fuel and had greater range and a heavier gun armament than preceding Kaichu-type submarines. They displaced 866 tonnes (852 long tons) surfaced and 1,036 tonnes (1,020 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 74.22 meters (243 ft 6 in) long and had a beam of 6.12 meters (20 ft 1 in) and a draft of 3.73 meters (12 ft 3 in). They had a diving depth of 45.7 meters (150 ft).
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 600-brake-horsepower (447 kW) Sulzer diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 600-horsepower (447 kW) electric motor. They could reach 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) on the surface and 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) underwater. On the surface, they had a range of 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) — although the Imperial Japanese Navy officially announced it as 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) — at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 85 nmi (157 km; 98 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).
The submarines were armed with four internal bow 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes and carried a total of eight torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 120 mm (4.7 in) deck gun and one 6.5 mm machine gun.
Construction and commissioning
Ro-32 was laid down as Submarine No. 71 on 24 October 1921 by Kawasaki at Kobe, Japan.[1] Launched on 19 March 1923,[1] she was completed and commissioned on 31 May 1924.[1]
Service history
Upon commissioning, Submarine No. 71 was attached to the Sasebo Naval District, to which she remained attached throughout her active career.[1] On 15 June 1924, she was assigned to both Submarine Division 25 — in which she spent her active career — and the Mako Defense Division headquartered at Mako in the Pescadores Islands.[1] She was renamed Ro-32 on 1 November 1924.[1] On 1 December 1926, she was reassigned to the Sasebo Defense Division, headquartered at Sasebo, Japan.[1] Her service in the Sasebo Defense Division ended on 15 November 1934, after which she served as a unit of Submarine Division 25 in the Sasebo Naval District.[1]
Ro-32 was decommissioned and placed in the Fourth Reserve on 15 December 1938.[1] The Japanese struck her from the Navy list on 1 April 1942,[1] and that day she became a stationary training hulk at the submarine school at Ōtake, Japan.[1] She was scrapped ca. August 1945.[1]
During World War II, the United States Coast Guard cutter USCGC McLane (WSC-146), the Coast Guard-manned United States Navy patrol vessel USS YP-251, and a Royal Canadian Air Force Bristol Bolingbroke maritime patrol aircraft of No. 115 Squadron shared credit for the sinking of a submarine in the Pacific Ocean off Southeast Alaska at 55°20′N 134°40′W / 55.333°N 134.667°W on 9 July 1942,[2] and in 1947 the Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee identified the sunken submarine as Ro-32.[3] In 1967, the U.S. Navy retracted that finding after determining that Ro-32 had been inactive in Japan at the time of the sinking and had remained afloat through the end of World War II.[3][note 1]
Notes
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
- "Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Vol.17 I-Gō Submarines, Gakken (Japan), January 1998, ISBN 4-05-601767-0
- Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The submarines of the Imperial Japanese Forces", Gakken (Japan), March 2005, ISBN 4-05-603890-2
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.43 Japanese Submarines III, Ushio Shobō (Japan), September 1980, Book code 68343-44
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.132 Japanese Submarines I "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), February 1988, Book code 68344-36
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.133 Japanese Submarines II "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), March 1988, Book code 68344-37
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.135 Japanese Submarines IV, Ushio Shobō (Japan), May 1988, Book code 68344-39
- Bruhn, David D. Battle Stars for the "Cactus Navy": America's Fishing Vessels and Yachts in World War II. Berwyn Heights, Maryland: Heritage Books 2014. ISBN 978-0-7884-5573-5