We cover actions of the submarines of the ITALIAN NAVY and the I.J.N. in this section. Any additional information is welcome.

Italian

On 1 December, 1940 the Italian submarine ARGO under TV Alberto Crepas, torpedoed and damaged the 1,337 ton destroyer HMCS SAGUENAY.

On 5 December 1940, ARGO under Crepas, sank the 5,068 ton British motorship SILVERPLANE by torpedo.

On 12 November 1942, ARGO under TV Pasquale Gigli, sank the 2,376 ton British AA ship TYNWALD and the 13,483 ton British steamer AWATEA. Both ships had already been damaged by air attack and this was essentially, a COUP D’ GRACE attack.

On 19 June 1943 ARGO, under TV Archangelo Gilberti, fired a spread of four torpedoes and heard two hits after a run time of 4 minutes, and another after 4 minutes 7 seconds. There is no record of what ships, if any, were hit.

On 11 July 1943, ARGO, under Gilberti, fired at a cruiser of the SOUTHAMPTON class and heard one detonation after 8 minutes. There is no record of any cruiser being hit in that area.

On 22 June 1940, the Italian submarine ASCIANGHI under TV Ugo Gelli, fired four torpedoes at a steamer, estimated at 15,000 tons but had to break off the attack with gunfire after some hits claimed.

On 21 September 1941, ASCIANGHI under TV Olinto diSerio, sank the 389 ton Palastine steamer ANTAR.

On 15 November 1942, ASCIANGHI underTV Rino Erler, claimed damage on a cruiser of the CALEDON CLASS and sinking of a cruiser of the LEANDER CLASS. Only the 850 ton British minelayer HMS ALGERINE was sunk.

On 2 March 1943, ASCIANGHI under Erler, heard three hits after a run time of 1 minute, & assumed hits of a destroyer & a freighter. There is no record of any ships lost at that time.

Japanese

I.J.N. submarine I-7

On 4 March 1942, the I.J.N. submarine I-7 under KK K. Koizumi sank the 3,271 Netherlands steamer LE MAIRE.

On 3 April 1942, the I.J.N. I-7 under Koizumi sank the 9,415 ton British motorship GLENSHIEL.

On 15 July 1942, the I.J.N. I-7 under Koizumi sank the 2,722 ton American steamer ARCATA.

On 26 March 1944 the I.J.N. submarine I-8 under KK Tatsunosuke Ariizumi sank the 5,787 ton Netherlands steamer TJISALAK. Ninety-eight survivors of this sinking were killed by the submarine crew.

On 30 March 1944, the I.J.N. I-8 under Ariizumi sank the 6,589 ton British steamer CITY OF ADELAIDE.

On 16 April 1944, the I.J.N.I-8 under Ariizumi, sank a small sailing vessel by gunfire.

On 2 July, 1944 the I.J.N. submarine I-8 under Ariizumi sank the 7,176 ton American steamer JEAN NICOLET and more killing of survivors occurred.

IJN I-8 Sinks SS Jean Nicolet

From the book ‘SUGAMO PRISON’ we read of the sinking of the steamer SS JEAN NICOLET by I.J.N. I-8.

I.J.N. submarine I-8

‘In July 1944, the submarine I-8 sank the NICOLET. This sinking was ‘the same story’ as the sinking of the TJISALAK three months earlier. Eighty or ninety survivors were ordered aboard the submarine. They were stripped of all their belongings except for their clothing, were bound and sent forward, under guard, to sit on the submarine deck. After the Master and other prisoners had been taken below, the rest of the survivors were brought, one by one, and shot to death, bayoneted, or clubbed and slashed with swords.

An endeavor was made to execute all of the prisoners except the Master and one Mr. O’Gara. Some of the survivors were forced to run a gauntlet of eight or nine men, and were hit by gun butts, heavy instruments, bayonets etc. and forced into the water with their hands tied. Evidently the members of the submarine crew believed that they had detected enemy aircraft by radar and, though many of the survivors were still sitting on deck with their hands tied behind their backs, the submarine submerged. One seaman managed to untie his hands and another had a pocket knife hidden in the waistband of his pants. They untied and cut the bonds of about fourteen others. The empty lifeboats were machine gunned. Sixteen of the crew were presumed dead, two members determined dead, and eleven were known as survivors according to an official document from the Navy Department, Bureau of Naval Personnel.’

HARRY’S NOTE - Ariizumi later got command of the giant I-400 but when the War ended and this submarine was surrendered to the US NAVY, Ariizumi committed suicide and escaped the atrocities trials held at Sugamo Prison after the end of World War II.

Italian Submarine Losses

23 June, 1940 the Italian submarine LUIGI GALVANI, under command of CC Spano, was sunk by HMS FALMOUTH;

27 June 1940 the Italian submarine CONSOLE GENERALE LIUZZI was sunk by HMS DAINTY and HMS ILEX;

28 June 1940 the Italian submarine ARGONAUTA was sunk by British aircraft.