© 2001-2003 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
15 January 1943:
The I-180 is completed at the Yokosuka Navy Yard,
commissioned in the IJN and based in the Sasebo Naval District. Assigned to
SubDiv 22 in Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral), the Marquis, Daigo Tadashige's
(former CO of ASHIGARA) Kure SubRon. LtCdr (later Cdr) Kusaka Toshio (former CO
of I-174) is the Commanding Officer.
15 March 1943:
Reassigned to SubRon 3's SubDiv 22 with the I-177 and
the I-178.
30 March 1943:
Departs Kure with the I-177 and the I-178.
7 April 1943:
Arrives at Truk.
10 April 1943:
The I-180 is assigned to patrol off the east coast of
Australia. Departs Truk with the I-177 and the I-178.
26 April 1943:
E of Australia. The I-180 attacks an unidentified
merchant at 28S, 157E. LtCdr Kusaka fires three torpedoes, but obtains no hits.
29 April 1943:
55 miles ESE of Smokey Cape. The I-180 sinks the
2,239-ton Australian merchant WOLLONGBAR at 31-17S, 153-07E. Five of her 37
crewmen survive and are later rescued by the trawler X.L.C.R.
5 May 1943:
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. The I-180 attacks the
2,137-ton Norwegian merchant FINGAL that is under charter to the Australian
Government. The FINGAL is enroute from Sydney to Port Darwin with general cargo
and ammunition, escorted by the USS PATTERSON (DD-392). The FINGAL is hit by one
torpedo portside aft and then hit by another in the engine room. She goes down
within a minute at 30-35S, 153-29E. Two hours later, the PATTERSON picks up 19
survivors of her crew of 31.
12 May 1943:
NE of Coffs Harbour. The 5,832-ton Australian merchant
ORMISTON, designated Commodore of the 15-ship Allied convoy P.G. 50, is on the
last leg of a voyage with a cargo of bagged sugar from Cairns. The convoy is
proceeding from Brisbane to Sydney.
The I-180 fires a torpedo that hits the ORMISTON on her port side. The
Australian merchant CARADALE is also hit but the torpedo fails to explode and
does no damage. The ORMISTON, escorted by HMAS BALLARAT, HMAS KYBRA and the USS
HENLEY (DD-391), successfully reaches Coffs Harbour. After temporary repairs,
she eventually reaches Sydney.
25 May 1943:
Returns to Truk.
20 June 1943:
Departs Truk with the I-177 to operate off the east
coast of Australia on her second war patrol.
30 June 1943:
Redirected with the I-177 to an area between New Georgia
and Santa Isabel to attack enemy landing forces off Rendova.
6 July 1943:
Arrives at her assigned patrol area.
13 July 1943: The Battle of Kolombangara:
At 0330, the light cruiser
JINTSU departs Rabaul flying the flag of ComDesRon 2's Rear Admiral (Vice
Admiral, posthumously) Isaki Shunji (former CO of MAYA) with DesDiv 16's
YUKIKAZE, DesDiv 17's HAMAKAZE, DesDiv 27's YUGURE, DesDiv 30's MIKAZUKI and
DesDiv 31's KIYONAMI and the destroyer-transports SATSUKI, MINAZUKI, YUNAGI and
the MATSUKAZE carrying 1,200 troops to be landed at Vila on Kolombangara Island,
New Georgia.
Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands. The JINTSU and the YUKIKAZE's E27 radar
detectors detect the presence of enemy vessels 30 minutes before visual contact
is made. This is Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Walden L. Ainsworth's Task
Group 36.1 with the light cruisers USS HONOLULU (CL-48)(F), SAINT LOUIS (CL-49)
and the HMNZS LEANDER and 10 destroyers makes radar contact.
At 2308, Rear Admiral Isaki orders a torpedo attack on the American
force. At 2310, TG 36.1 takes the JINTSU and her consorts under radar-directed
gunfire and salvoes torpedoes at them. The JINTSU is smothered in 6-inch shells
and hit a by a torpedo abaft her number 2 stack. She goes down with Admiral
Izaki and 482 men. No other IJN ships are damaged and all the IJA troops are
landed at Vila.
On the Allied side, all three of the light cruisers are damaged in the
battle - the LEANDER so severely that she is out of commission for the rest of
the war.
The destroyer USS GWIN (DD-433) is hit by a Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo
and has to be scuttled by the RALPH TALBOT (DD-390) in the morning. The BUCHANAN
(DD-484) glances off the WOODWORTH's (DD-460) stern during the engagement and
both are damaged.
The I-180 arrives on the scene at 07-38S, 157-06E and rescues 21 of the
JINTSU's crew.
20 July 1943:
SubRon 3 is reassigned to the Southeast Area Fleet.
21 July 1943:
Arrives at Buin, departs that day.
22 July 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
2 August 1943:
Departs Rabaul on a supply run to Lae.
4 August 1943:
Arrives at Lae. Unloads her cargo.
10 August 1943:
Returns to Truk.
4 September 1943: Allied Operation "Postern" - The Invasion of Lae, New
Guinea:
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Daniel E. Barbey's Task Force 76
lands the Australian 9th Division on the Huon Peninsula near Lae. That day, the
I-180 departs Truk.
8 September 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
14 September 1943:
LtCdr Fujita Hidenori (former CO of RO-103) assumes
command. Cdr Kusaka becomes the CO of the I-26. In Dec '44, he becomes the CO of
the giant I-400.
17 September 1943:
Departs Rabaul to participate in supply missions to
Finschafen, New Guinea.
19 September 1943:
Arrives at Finschafen on her first supply run
there. Unloads her cargo.
21 September 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
24 September 1943:
Departs Rabaul on her third supply run to
Finschafen.
27 September 1943:
Arrives off Finschafen and establishes contact with
ground troops. Before she can unload her cargo, the I-180 is attacked by enemy
vessels and depth-charged. She submerges and releases her deck cargo in rubber
containers. After the attack the I-180 remains in the vicinity.
29 September 1943:
Off Finschafen. The I-180 again establishes contact
with the ground troops and unloads the rest of her cargo.
7 October 1943:
Arrives at Sio on her first supply run there. Unloads
her cargo.
10 October 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
12 October 1943: American Air Raid on Rabaul:
LtGen(later General)
George C. Kenney's 5th Air Force hits Rabaul with the biggest raid made up to
this time in the Pacific war.
349 aircraft, including 87 B-17 and B-24 bombers, 114 B-25 strafers, 12
RAAF "Beaufighters" and 125 P-38 "Lightning's" and others from New Guinea and
Australia hit Rabaul's town, airfields and Simpson harbor. Over 50 Japanese
aircraft are destroyed.
The I-36, I-38, I-176, I-177, RO-105 and the RO-108 are moored in deep
water. When the harbor is bombed, most of the submarines submerge to safety, but
the transports KEISHO MARU, KOSEI MARU, lighters No.1 WAKAMATSU MARU and
KUROGANE MARU and guardboat MISHIMA MARU are sunk. The destroyers MOCHIZUKI,
MINAZUKI and TACHIKAZE are damaged as is the special service ship TSUKUSHI,
oiler NARUTO and smaller vessels.
The I-180, moored at a pier undergoing repairs, is the only submarine
damaged in the attack. Unable to move, she is hit by a bomb that destroys her
superstructure and wounds her torpedo officer Lt Higuchi Toshio and three
crewmen on the bridge. As a result of her damage, the I-180 can not dive.
15 October 1943:
Lt Higuchi dies.
21 October 1943:
Departs Rabaul.
26 October 1943:
Arrives at Truk; departs the same day. Reassigned to
SubRon 1.
2 November 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
1 January 1944:
Departs Sasebo.
8 January 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
19 January 1944:
Departs Truk but suffers a mechanical failure and
turns back.
21 January 1944:
Arrives at Truk. Undergoes repairs.
22 January 1944:
Departs Truk.
30 January 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo.
16 March 1944:
Departs Sasebo.
19 March 1944:
Arrives at Ominato.
20 March 1944:
Departs Ominato to patrol E of Unalaska and S of
Kodiak in the Aleutians. Her estimated date of return to Ominato is 13 May.
19 April 1944:
S of Alaska. The I-180 torpedoes and sinks the
7,176-ton American "Liberty" ship JOHN STRAUB that sinks by the bow at 54-22N,
163-24E.
25 April 1944:
SW of Cherikof Island, Aleutians. Lt W. D. Jenckes'
USS GILMORE (DE-18) and the EDWARD C. DALEY (DE-17) are escorting a convoy from
Dutch Harbor to Kodiak, Alaska. At 2230, the GILMORE's SG radar picks up a
surfaced submarine at 8,000 yards. At 4,000 yards, the "pip" disappears and
contact is broken. The GILMORE soon acquires a sound contact at 2, 600 yards. In
the next hour, Jenckes lays down three separate barrages of Mark 10 "hedgehogs",
each of twenty-four projector charges, but without result.
26 April 1944:
At 0027, the GILMORE drops a pattern of 13 depth
charges, but again without result. At 0107, Jenckes drops another pattern of 13
depth charges. At 0112, the GILMORE's efforts are rewarded by a heavy underwater
explosion that rocks the destroyer escort. The submarine - probably the I-180 -
sinks at 55-10N, 155-40W.
20 May 1944:
Presumed lost with all hands in the Kodiak area.
10 July 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr.
Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. – Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp
