Imperial Submarines

SENSUIKAN!

HIJMS Submarine I-166: Tabular Record of Movement
© 2001 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
10 November 1932:
The I-66 is completed at the Sasebo Naval Yard, commissioned in the IJN and based in the Sasebo Navy District.
26 November 1941:
The I-66 is in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral), the Marquis, Daigo Tadashige's SubRon 5 under Captain Teraoka Masao's (later CO of CA SUZUYA) SubDiv 30 with the I-65. Cdr Yoshitomi Zenji is the Commanding Officer.
The I-66 departs Sasebo for Palau with Admiral Daigo's flagship the light cruiser YURA and SubDivs 30 and 29. Enroute, SubRon 5 is diverted to Samah, Hainan Island, China.
5 December 1941:
Departs Samah on her first war patrol to cover the invasion transports.
8 December 1941: Operation "E"- The Invasion of Malaya:
Japanese forces land on the Kra Isthmus of Thailand and NE Malaya.

15 December 1941: Operation "B" -The Invasion of Sarawak (British Borneo):
A Japanese amphibious force seizes Brunei Bay and Miri (17 December).
16 December 1941:
LtCdr Yoshitomi carries out periscopic reconnaissance of Kuching.
23 December 1941:Operation "B"
Japanese forces land at Kuching and occupy it the next day.
24 December 1941:
60 miles NW of Kuching, Borneo. About 1145 (JST), the submerged I-66 sights Dutch LtCdr L. J. Jarman's submarine K-XVI returning on the surface after her first patrol against Japanese shipping. The day before, Jarman sank the FUBUKI-class destroyer SAGIRI 30 miles N of Kuching.
Cdr Yoshitomi starts an approach and 13 minutes later he fires a single torpedo that sinks the K-XVI with all 36 hands at 02-30N, 109-50E. The I-166 is the first IJN submarine to sink a submarine.
27 December 1941:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.

January 1942:
Departs Camranh for her second war patrol to cover the Menado and Kema landings.
7-13 January 1942: Operation "H" - The Invasion of the Celebes, Netherlands East Indies:
Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Second Fleet, Southern Force invades Menado and Kema covered by Subron 5's I-59, -60, -62, -64, -65 and the I-66.
11 January 1942:
Java Sea. 10 miles SW of the Lombok Strait. The I-66 torpedoes the 6, 211-ton U.S. Army transport LIBERTY GLO at 08-54S, 115-28E. The USS PAUL JONES (DD-230) and the Dutch destroyer VAN GHENT take the damaged ship in tow and beach her at Bali, but the LIBERTY GLO capsizes becoming a total loss.
January 1942:
The I-66 returns to Camranh.
15 January 1942:
Departs Camranh.
20 January 1942:
Arrives at Penang.
January 1942:
Departs Penang for her third war patrol in the Gulf of Bengal.
21 January 1942:
Indian Ocean. The I-66 torpedoes the 3,193-ton Panamanian-flagged merchant NORD that is enroute from Calcutta to Rangoon with a cargo of 2,500 tons of coal. She sinks at 15-28N, 94-36E.
22 January 1942:
Indian Ocean. The I-66 torpedoes, shells and sinks the 2,358-ton British merchant CHAK SANG at 15-42N, 95-02E.
29 January 1942:
Arrives at Penang, Malaya.
9 February 1942:
Departs Penang on her fourth patrol to patrol off Ceylon.
14 February 1942:
Indian Ocean. The I-66 torpedoes, shells and sinks the British Straits Steamship Company's 2,076-ton KAMUNING at 08-35N, 81-44E. Based in Singapore, she was enroute from Madras, India to Columbo, Ceylon with a cargo of rice.
2 March 1942:
Returns to Penang.
15 March 1942:
Departs Penang.
28 March 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.
10 April 1942:
The I-66 is assigned to the Combined Fleet's SubRon 5 in SubDiv 30 with the I-65.
15 May 1942:
Departs Kure under LtCdr Tanaka Makio.
20 May 1942:
The I-66 is renumbered the I-166.
24 May 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
26 May 1942: Operation "MI"- The Battle of Midway:
Departs Kwajalein on her fifth war patrol.
26 June 1942:
Returns to Sasebo for an overhaul.
10 July 1942:
SubRon 5 is disbanded. SubDiv 30's I-162, -165 and the I-166 are reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet with the I-9 and the tender RIO DE JANEIRO MARU.
22 July 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
6 August 1942:
Arrives at Penang.
11 August 1942:
Departs Penang on her sixth war patrol for a special mission off Ceylon.
1 October 1942:
Indian Ocean. The I-166 shells and damages the 1,201-ton Panamanian-flagged merchant CAMILA at 08-10N, 77-41E. She is beached, but is a total loss.
23 November 1942:
Indian Ocean. The I-166 torpedoes and sinks the 5,332-ton British merchant CRANFIELD at 08-26N, 76-42E.
November 1942:
The I-166, -162 and the I-165 are transferred from Penang to Surabaya in anticipation of a American-Australian landing on Timor in December. These actions are based on a false intelligence report received from the Italians.
5 December 1942:
The I-166 departs Penang to raid commerce in NW Australia.
25 December 1942:
Indian Ocean. The I-166 shells Cocos Island as a diversion to Guadalcanal operations.
27 December 1942:
The I-166 arrives back at Penang.
1 January 1943:
The I-166 is based at Surabaya, Java in the Southwest Area Fleet's SubDiv 30 with the I-162 and the I-165.
19 January 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo. Drydocked.
While at Sasebo, Lt Suwa Koichiro assumes command. LtCdr Tanaka becomes the Chief Equipping Officer and later the Commanding Officer of the new I-39. He is KIA aboard her on 26 Nov 43.
10 August 1943:
Departs Sasebo for Surabaya, Java.
25 September 1943:
Arrives at Penang to take up station as her new operating base from which to raid enemy communications in the Indian Ocean.
24 December 1943:
Indian Ocean. The I-166 lands six Indian revolutionaries on Ceylon to conduct insurgency operations.
1 January 1944:
The I-166 is in SubDiv 30 with the 1-162, -165, -166, RO-110, -111 and the RO-112.

7 February 1944:
The I-166 departs Penang to patrol in the Indian Ocean.
16 February 1944:
Lt Suwa sights an American merchant vessel, but fails to hit her as a result of a torpedo malfunction.
29 February 1944:
The I-166 attempts to attack a British merchant, but misses as a result of another torpedo malfunction.
25 March 1944:
SubDiv 30 is reassigned to SubRon 8.
16 July 1944:
Departs Penang for Singapore to operate as an ASW target for Vice Admiral Kurita's fleet.
17 July 1944:
Straits of Malacca. Lt Suwa is making about 20 knots heading SE, but cannot zigzag in the narrow channel. At 0708, Cdr William D. A. King's submarine HMS TELEMACHUS, at periscope depth, sights the I-166 at four miles. King tracks the I-166 until 0730, then at 1,500 yards he fires six new type torpedoes. Unknown by the TELEMACHUS' crew, the new warheads are heavier than the older ones. As a result, after their release without appropriate compensation for the increased weight forward, the TELEMACHUS loses depth control and broaches. Just as she breaks the surface, a torpedo hits the I-166. She sinks seven miles off One Fathom Bank light at 1-10N, 103-45E.
The Japanese rescue the bridge watch - five survivors including Lt Suwa*, but 89 other crewmembers are lost. HMS TELEMACHUS is chased by converted minelayer No. 4, two torpedo boats and a JAAF Mitsubishi Ki-21 "Sally" bomber of the 62nd Sentai, but manages to escape.
10 September 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

Authors' Note:
*Lt Suwa is later promoted, then killed in action in 1945 as the Commanding Officer of the RO-55.
Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. – Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp

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