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I-58 file photo [1424]

I-58

CountryJapan
Ship ClassType B3-class Submarine
BuilderYokosuka Naval Arsenal
Laid Down26 Dec 1942
Launched9 Oct 1943
Commissioned7 Sep 1944
Decommissioned1 Apr 1946
Sunk2 Apr 1946
Displacement2,140 tons standard
Length356 feet
MachineryTwo diesel engines
Power Output9,400 shaft horsepower
Speed15 knots
Aircraft1 seaplane
Submerged Speed7 knots

Contributor:

ww2dbaseI-58, a 2140-ton "B(3) Type" submarine, was built at Yokosuka, Japan. Completed in September 1944, she was modified in 1945 to carry the "Kaiten" manned torpedo. Her captain, Lieutenant Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto, did not get a chance to attack an enemy ship until 30 Jul 1945, when she ran across the unescorted heavy cruiser Indianapolis between the Marianas and the Philippines. After confirming the Indianapolis as a hostile warship (though misidentifying her as a battleship), Hashimoto launched six conventional torpedos toward the American cruiser. Each torpedo carried 1,210 pounds of explosives. Two of them scored hits, and sank the Indianapolis within minutes. Due to a series of miscommunication and blunders by the US Navy, the sinking of the Indianapolis went unnoticed for several days before a rescue effort was launched. Of the approximately 900 men who survived the explosions and the sinking, only 316 survived the shark-infested waters of the Pacific with little food and no water to tell the tale.

ww2dbaseAt the end of the war, I-58 was surrendered to the United States. She was scuttled off Goto, Japan, on 1 Apr 1946.

ww2dbaseSources: In Harm's Way, Naval Historical Center

Last Major Revision: Aug 2005

Submarine I-58 Interactive Map

Photographs

I-53 and I-58 at Kure, Japan, 16 Oct 1945I-58 at Sasebo, Japan, Jan 1946
See all 4 photographs of Submarine I-58

I-58 Operational Timeline

1 Jan 1945 Five Japanese submarines departed Inland Sea, Japan with Kaiten submarines aboard. I-36 sailed for Ulithi in the Caroline Islands, I-48 for Hollandia in New Guinea, I-53 for Palau Islands, I-56 for the Admiralty Islands, and I-58 for Guam in the Mariana Islands.
12 Jan 1945 Kaiten submarines launched by Japanese submarines I-36, I-53, I-56, and I-58 struck targets at Ulithi in the Caroline Islands, Palau Islands, Admiralty Islands, and Guam in the Mariana Islands, respectively. The motherships reported 18 sinkings total, but actual damage done was far less and no ship was sunk.
29 Jul 1945 Japanese submarine I-58 sank cruiser USS Indianapolis with two hits from Type 95 torpedoes; USS Indianapolis' prior order to maintain radio silence resulted in a 2-day delay in realizing she was lost.
18 Aug 1945 I-58 arrived at Kure, Japan.
1 Apr 1946 The US Navy conducted a mass scuttling of captured enemy warships. Twenty-one surviving giant Japanese submarines (including the infamous I-58) were among the vessels destroyed.




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More on I-58
Personnel:
» Hashimoto, Mochitsura

Document(s):
» Interrogation of Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto

Submarine I-58 Photo Gallery
I-53 and I-58 at Kure, Japan, 16 Oct 1945I-58 at Sasebo, Japan, Jan 1946
See all 4 photographs of Submarine I-58


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