SENSUIKAN!

© 2001-2016 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
Revision 1

1 April 1942:
Laid down at Yokosuka Navy Yard as Submarine No. 162.

12 December 1942:
Launched and renumbered I-184.

5 August 1943:
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Ichitomi Kiyota (63)(current CO of RO-58) is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.

10 September 1943:
LtCdr (Cdr, posthumously) Rikihisa Matsuji (58) (former CO of I-122) is appointed Chief Equipping Officer.

15 October 1943:
Completed, commissioned in the IJN and attached to Sasebo Naval District. LtCdr Rikihisa is the Commanding Officer.

The I-184 is assigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral), the Marquis, Daigo Tadashige's (former CO of ASHIGARA) SubRon 11, First Fleet.

Late November 1943:
Iyo Nada. Participates in ASW exercises with the Kure-based submarine tender CHOGEI, I-42, I-43, RO-40 and RO-113.

28 January 1944:
Departs Kure to test the launch of the new Type 1 mines.

31 January 1944:
Reassigned to SubDiv 22 in Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Takagi Takeo's (former CO of MUTSU) Sixth Fleet (Submarines).

25 February 1944:
Temporarily attached to the NE Area Unit.

26 February 1944:
Departs Sasebo.

29 February 1944:
Arrives at Ominato.

4 March 1944:
Departs Ominato to patrol in the Aleutians.

11 March 1944:
Arrives at Paramushiro.

12 March 1944:
Departs Paramushiro.

9 April 1944:
Returns to Ominato.

11 April 1944:
Departs Ominato for Yokosuka.

13 April 1944:
Arrives at Yokosuka.

20 May 1944:
Departs Yokosuka with food and supplies for the starving garrison on Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands.

12 June 1944:
Arrives at Mili. Unloads supplies and departs.

13 June 1944: Operation "A-Go" - The Defense of the Marianas:
Admiral Toyoda Soemu, (former CO of HYUGA), CINC, Combined Fleet, activates A-Go and orders Vice Admiral Takagi to redeploy his boats to the Marianas. From his headquarters on Saipan, Takagi orders all available submarines to deploy E of the Marianas. I-184 is ordered to proceed immediately to the E of Guam and patrol between the areas alloted to I-5 and I-185.

15 June 1944: American Operation "Forager" - The Invasion of Saipan:
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Richmond K. Turner's Task Force 52 lands Marine LtGen Holland M. Smith's V Amphibious Corps and the invasion begins. Communications between Takagi's Advance Expeditionary Force (Sixth Fleet) are disrupted by the invasion. Command of the Sixth Fleet's submarines passes to Rear Admiral Owada Noboru (former CO of YAMASHIRO), ComSubRon 7 at Truk.

I-184 is ordered to proceed to Saipan. LtCdr Rikihisa acknowledges the message and signals his ETA as 0022 on 18 June (JST). This is his last message.

19 June 1944: The Battle of the Philippine Sea:
20 miles SE of Saipan. The USS SUWANEE (CVE-27) is supporting the invasion of the Marianas. Ensign G. E. Sabin's Grumman TBM-1C "Avenger" torpedo-bomber of VT-60 is flying an ASW patrol. Sabin drops below the cloud cover and spots a surfaced Japanese submarine. LtCdr Rikihisa spots the Avenger and crash-dives, but Sabin drops his depth bombs just ahead of the submarine's track and sinks I-184 with all 96 hands at 13-01N, 149-53E.

12 July 1944:
Presumed lost in the Saipan area.

10 August 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Authors' Note:
Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. – Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.

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