SENSUIKAN!

© 2002 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp

15 August 1944:
The I-367 is completed at Mitsubishi's Kobe Yard as a Type D1 "Tei-gata" transport submarine, commissioned in the IJN and based in the Sasebo Naval District. The D1's have no torpedo tubes. LtCdr Shinohara Shigeo is the Commanding Officer.

15 October 1944:
Assigned to Rear Admiral Owada Noboru's (former CO of YAMASHIRO) SubRon 7 (transports) with the I-361, I-362, I-363, I-366, I-368, I-368, I-369, I-370 and the I-371.

31 October 1944:
Departs Yokosuka for Minami-Torishima (Marcus Island), carrying 61-tons of food and ammunition.

6 November 1944:
Arrives at Minami-Torishima, unloads cargo.

12 November 1944:
Returns to Yokosuka.

15 November 1944:
LtCdr Taketomi Kanio assumes command.

4 December 1944:
Departs Yokosuka carrying carrying 81-tons of food and ammunition for Wake Island.

17 December 1944:
Arrives at Wake. Unloads her cargo.

1 January 1945:
Arrives at Yokosuka. The I-367 is converted to carry five "kaiten" (Heavens shaker) human-torpedoes. Her deck guns and Daihatsu landing craft fittings are removed.

20 March 1945:
SubRon 7 is deactivated. The I-367 is reassigned to SubDiv 15.

1 April 1945: American Operation "Iceberg" - The Invasion of Okinawa:
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Raymond A. Spruance's Fifth Fleet, including more than 40 aircraft carriers, 18 battleships, 200 destroyers and over 1,000 support ships surround Okinawa. LtGen Simon B. Buckner Jr's Tenth Army (7th, 77th, 96th Infantry, 1st, 6th Marine divisions) makes amphibious landings and takes the island from Lt Gen Ushijima Mitsuru's well dug-in 32nd Army.

5 May 1945: The Seventh Kaiten Mission:
The I-367 is the only boat in the "Shimbu" ("God's Warriors") mission. Since May 5th is "Tango no sekku" (Boys' Day), the I-367 departs Otsujima for the area NW of Saipan flying the traditional Boys' Day carp streamer from her conning tower's radio antenna. The next day, the I-366 hits a magnetic mine off Hikari and is damaged. Undergoes repairs and cannot take part in the "Shimbu" mission with the I-367.

17 May 1945:
The I-367 arrives at the assigned area 450 nms NW of Saipan and SE of Oki-Daito-Jima. That same day, LtCdr Taketomi makes four contacts with the Americans, but fails to close the range each time.

27 May 1945:
E of Okinawa. About 0900 (I), LtCdr Taketomi sights a four-ship convoy of the Logistics Support Group's Servron 6. He launches two kaitens from the convoy's port beam piloted by FPO1C Chiba Saburo and Ono Masaaki. The crew of the fleet tug USS SIOUX (ATF-75) spot one of the kaitens and sinks it with their 40-mm Bofors AA gun. Taketomi reports sinking two merchants.

Two other kaitens have rudder problems and one a malfunctioning engine and cannot be launched.

5 June 1945:
Arrives at Kure.

14 June 1945:
Lt Imanishi Kozaburo assumes command.

19 July 1945: The Eighth Kaiten Mission:
I-367 is in the "Tamon" kaiten Group with the I-53, I-58, I-47, I-363 and the I-366. Departs Otsujima for an area 400 nms SE of Okinawa. No contacts are made during the patrol.

15 August 1945:
The I-367 is returning to base when she receives a signal that the Emperor Hirohito (Showa) has broadcast a call for an end to the hostilities.

16 August 1945:
Returns to Kure.

September 1945:
Surrenders to Allied Forces.

30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

1 April 1946:
Bombed and scuttled by Occupation Forces off the Goto Islands, near Sasebo.

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Authors' Notes:
*Some reports claim that a kaiten attacked the USS GILLIGAN (DE-508) on 27 May 1945 and damaged her. In fact, the GILLIGAN was hit in the starboard side during the "Kikusui No. 8" kamikaze operation.

Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.

Thanks for help with the COs in Rev 1 also go to Steve Eckhardt of Australia.

– Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp

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