World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseNobukiyo Nambu was born in 1911 into a poor family, but studied hard for the entrance exam for the Japanese Naval Academy. Somewhat uncharacteristic for someone with tall height, he ultimately entered the submarine service. In Jan 1945, he was named the commanding officer of I-401, a secret aircraft carrier submarine originally developed to launch attacks on US cities or the Panama Canal, but by the time I-401 sortied, the target had been shifted to Ulithi in the Caroline Islands much closer to Japan. En route to Ulithi, Japan surrendered, but conflicting orders from Japanese Navy officers who refused to give up gave Tatsunosuke Ariizumi, Nambu's commanding officer who was also aboard I-401, the excuse to carry on the war for two more days before allowing Nambu to set sail for home. I-401 formally surrendered to the Americans in Sagami Wan in Japanese home waters on 31 Aug 1945, and Nambu burned the submarine's ensign to avoid it becoming an American trophy. After the war he served in the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, reaching the rank of rear admiral.

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Nobukiyo Nambu Timeline