SENSUIKAN!

© 2001 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 December 1929:
The 1-60 is completed at the Sasebo Navy Yard, commissioned in the IJN and is based in the Sasebo Naval District.

2 February 1939:
The Bungo Straits. In the early morning, LtCdr Nakagawa Hajime's I-60 is participating in simulated attacks against surface vessels. Her sister ship, the I-63, under LtCdr Sano Takao (former CO of RO-28), is participating in the same maneuvers and arrives at her prescribed station W of the Mizunoko Light. She stops all engines and waits for daylight with all running lights on.

The I-60's Navigator makes an error and places her near the I-63. LtCdr Nakagawa is off the I-60's bridge and below when his Watch Officer spots two white lights in the gloom. The I-60's lookouts mistake them for two sampans slightly apart. The Watch Officer decides to proceed at speed between the fishing boats. When only about 650 feet away, he realizes his mistake, tries to turn away but it is too late!

On the I-63, LtCdr Sano, summoned to the bridge, orders: "All ahead, full!" and "Close all watertight doors!" but it is too late! The I-60 rams the I-63 and slashes open her starboard auxiliary engine compartment. In but a few minutes, the I-63 sinks in 319 feet of water and takes 82 men with her. The I-60 rescues LtCdr Sano and six crewmen.

After the accident, a committee of inquiry finds that the I-60 had unsatisfactory lookout procedures and inadequate management of the watch officers. They also find that the 1-63's navigation error contributed to the accident. LtCdr Nakagawa is tried by court-martial and suspended from duty. He is promoted to Commander later than his contemporaries. In 1940, he is reassigned as the Commanding Officer of the I-58.

LtCdr Sano becomes the Commanding Officer of the I-70 and is lost on 10 December 1941 off Hawaii. On 21 January 1940, the I-63 is salvaged, towed to Kure and scrapped there.

6 December 1941: Operation "M" - The Attack on the Southern Philippines:
Vice Admiral Takahashi Ibo's (former CO of KIRISHIMA) Second Fleet, Southern Force, Philippines Seizure Force departs Palau. Takahashi's force invades Legaspi (11 December), Davao (19-20 December) and Jolo (24 December).

8 December 1941: The Attacks on Malaya, the Philippines and Pearl Harbor:
The I-60 is at Kobe on 'standby alert' with the 1-59 in Captain Kato Yukio's SubDiv 28 of Rear Admiral, the Marquis, Daigo Tadashige's SubRon 5. LtCdr Hasegawa Shun is the I-60's Commanding Officer.

31 December 1941:
Departs Kobe.

3 January 1942:
Java, Netherlands East Indies. The ABDA (American, British, Dutch, Australian) Command is set up. The Eastern Fleet under Rear Admiral Karel W. F. M. Doorman is based at Surabaya in Java and includes the destroyer HMS JUPITER.

5 January 1942:
The I-60 arrives at Davao.

9 January 1942:
The I-60 embarks ComSubDiv 28, Captain Kato, and departs Davao with the I-59. They sail S of the Sunda Islands through the Banda Sea to the Celebes, Netherlands East Indies.

11 January 1942: Operation "H" - The Invasion of the Celebes, NEI:
Vice Admiral Takahashi's forces invade Menado and Kema covered by Subron 5's I-60, -59, -62, -64, -65 and the I-66. After this action is completed, the I-59 is ordered to detach for Penang, Malaya via Christmas Island. The I-60 is also to proceed to Penang via the western coast of Sumatra after patrolling the Java-Singapore sea lane at the southern entrance to the Sunda Strait.

17 January 1942:
Java Sea. 25 miles NNW of Krakatoa Island. LtCdr Norman V. J. T. Thew's destroyer HMS JUPITER is escorting the 34, 600-ton former SS WASHINGTON passenger-liner, now the troop transport USS MOUNT VERNON (AP-22), that is enroute to Aden after debarking British and Canadian troops troops at Singapore.

LtCdr Hasegawa attempts to attack shipping in the Sunda Strait. Nearby, the JUPITER detaches from the MOUNT VERNON and races to respond to a distress message from a merchant under attack. After a two-hour ASDIC hunt, the JUPITER finds and depth charges the I-60. Two such attacks force LtCdr Hasegawa to battle surface astern of the destroyer - too close for the JUPITER to train her main armament.

The submarine is damaged and unable to dive, but Hasegawa attempts to fight the destroyer with his 4.7-inch deck gun. The JUPITER alters course and opens fire with her starboard Oerlikon AA gun. As the I-60's crew emerges from the conning tower to man the deck gun, they are raked by 20-mm fire. As they fall, other crewmen run to take their place. The I-60 manages to get off seven to eight shells a minute, even though the Oerlikon's fire keeps picking off the gun's crewmen.

One of the I-60's 4.7-inch rounds puts the JUPITER's open twin-gun mount "A" out of action and kills three men. LtCdr Hasegawa fires two torpedoes at the destroyer, but both miss. The JUPITER fires two torpedoes at the submarine, but these also miss.

The JUPITER's remaining four 4.7-inch/45 (12 cm) Mark XII quick-firing guns register two or three hits on the submarine and her deck gun is no longer manned. Smoke pours from the I-60 and she begins to list. LtCdr Thew closes on the I-60 at full speed. Hasegawa's crew continues firing on the destroyer with their 7.7-mm machine gun. Another 4.7-inch shell hits the submarine between the stern and conning tower. Smoke and flames emerge from the conning tower.

The JUPITER passes 15 feet abeam of the submarine and drops a shallow-set depth charge. The I-60 sinks by the stern in 500 fathoms of water at 06-00S, 105-00E. Only three of the I-60's crewmen are picked up and taken prisoner, one of whom later dies.

Captain Kato is promoted Rear Admiral, posthumously and LtCdr Hasegawa is promoted Commander, posthumously.

15 March 1942:
Removed from the Navy List.

________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan and Mr. Jean-Francois Masson of Canada - Bob Hackett.

---

Back to Submarine Page