SENSUIKAN!
HIJMS Submarine I-154: Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2001-2007 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
Revision 1
15 December 1927:
Completed at the Sasebo Navy Yard, numbered I-54 and registered in the Kure Naval District.
10 February 1932:
S of O-date Shima, off Kyushu. At 1348, during SubDiv 18's maneuvers, I-54 under LtCdr Okura Tomesaburo (former CO of RO-28) suffers a steering failure. Okura manages to prevent serious damage by reducing speed to 3 knots, but still collides with I-55, damaging her bow and flooding a space. I-54 returns to Sasebo for repairs that last approximately one week.
November 1941:
1-54 is in Rear Admiral Yoshitomi Setsuzo's SubRon 4 in Captain Kijima Moritsugu's SubDiv 18 with I-53 and I-55. LtCdr Kobayashi Shigeo is the Commanding Officer.
1 December 1941:
Departs Samah, Hainan Island, China with I-53 and I-55 on her first war patrol.
8 December 1941: Operation "E" - The Invasion of Malaya:
Japanese forces land on the Kra Isthmus of Thailand and NE Malaya.
South China Sea. I-54 and I-55 form a patrol line NE of Kuantan, Malaya.
14 December 1941:
W of Anambas. Around 1100, Dutch submarine Hr.Ms. K.XII, under Ltz I KMR Henry C.J. Coumou, sights the periscope of a Japanese submarine (most likely I-54 or I-55). After an unsuccessful attempt to ram by Coumou, both subs leave the area.
20 December 1941:
Arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
29 December 1941:
Departs Camranh with I-53, but is caught in a heavy gale, receives damage and has to return to base for repairs.
12 January 1942:
Departs Camranh to patrol off Singapore on her second war patrol.
21 January 1942:
Returns to Camranh.
7 February 1942:
Departs Camranh on her third war patrol with I-53. Assigned to the A Patrol Unit, she is tasked with providing distant support during the invasion of Java.
8 February 1942: The Invasions of Sumatra and Java, Netherlands East Indies:
Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Second Fleet, Southern Force, Netherlands East Indies Eastern Force invades Bali (19 February). Ibo's Western Force under Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo (former CO of HARUNA), together with an airborne assault, captures the oil refineries at Palembang, Sumatra (14 February), then lands troops at Bantam Bay, Merak and Eretenwetan and takes the capital of Batavia (5 March).
9 February 1942:
LtCdr Kobayashi is ordered to proceed to a new station off Anambas.
13 February 1942:
Departs the Anambas area, transits the Lombok Strait, Java and assumes a new station at the S end of Sunda Strait.
20 February 1942:
Transits the Lombok Strait into the Indian Ocean, later sinks two unidentified merchants S of Java.
24 February 1942:
S of Sunda Strait. I-54 sights and attacks an Allied tanker, but fails to score any hits.
25 February 1942:
LtCdr Kobayashi reports sinking an unidentified merchant in the same area.
2 March 1942:
LtCdr Kobayashi reports sinking an unidentified merchant. [1]
7 March 1942:
Arrives at Staring Bay, Celebes.
10 March 1942:
SubRon 4 is disbanded. SubDiv 18 is reassigned to the Kure Guard Unit.
16 March 1942:
Departs Staring Bay for Kure with I-53 and I-55.
25 March 1942:
Arrives at Kure. Used as a training ship thereafter.
10 April 1942:
1-54 is in the Kure Naval District Submarine Force's SubDiv 18 with I-53 and I-55.
20 May 1942:
I-54 is renumbered as I-154. Continues training duties.
5 June 1942:
LtCdr Sakamoto Eiichi (the former CO of RO-33) is appointed CO.
15 October 1942:
LtCdr Yuasa Hiroshi (the former torpedo officer of I-174) is appointed CO.
16 March 1943:
LtCdr Yamaguchi Kozaburo (the former torpedo officer of I-27) is appointed CO.
20 May 1943:
LtCdr Yamaguchi Kazuo (former CO of RO-67, I-176) is appointed CO.
1 December 1943:
ComSubDiv 18 Cdr Hamano Motokazu assumes joint command of I-154 and RO-67. I-154 is designated flagship of SubDiv 18.
December 1943:
Kure Navy Yard. The Submarine School carries out Sensuikan Gaigen Toshoku Jikken experiments on camouflage painting of I-boats based on the RO-500's (ex-German U-boat U 511) camouflage. I-154 is painted 2-Go shoku.
5 January 1944:
Participates in the first stage of the new camouflage scheme experiments in the Iyo Nada Sea with I-153. On this day, an experiment is carried to determine the camouflage's horizontal visibility, its visibility from aircraft, the appropriateness of the color for the surrounding sea area, its ability to confuse determining the I-boat's speed and direction and the durability of the paint. The experiment is deemed a failure.
31 January 1944:
SubDiv 18 is disbanded. I-154 is placed in the 4th reserve, anchored at the submarine school and laid up without a crew.
15 August 1945:
Emperor Hirohito (Showa) broadcasts an Imperial Rescript calling for an end to the hostilities.
20 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
May 1946:
Inland Sea. Scuttled in the Iyo Nada.
Authors' Note:
[1] Some sources erroneously credit I-54 with sinking 8,806-ton Dutch freighter MODJOKERTO on 1 Mar '42.
Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Mr. Jan Visser of the Netherlands for assistance with Revision 1.
– Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
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