SENSUIKAN!
HIJMS Submarine RO-113: Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2001 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
12 October 1943:
The RO-113 is completed at Kawasaki's Kobe Yard, commissioned in the IJN and based in the Kure Naval District. Lt Watanabe Hisashi is the Commanding Officer.
15 October 1943:
The RO-113 is assigned to Rear Admiral Ishizaki Noboru's (former CO of HYUGA) SubRon 11 of Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Takagi Takeo's (former CO of MUTSU) Sixth Fleet (Submarines).
9 November 1943:
Inland Sea. During a simulated torpedo attack, the RO-113 accidentally grazes Captain Hisamune Sojiro's (former CO of NAGATO) battleship YAMASHIRO in the Iyo Nada. The damage is minor and there are no casualties. Inspection and repairs are carried out at Kure.
2 December 1943:
RO-113 resumes her working-up exercises.
31 January 1944:
Reassigned to SubRon 30.
23 February 1944:
Departs Kure, under the Grand Escort Command, for an ASW patrol in the Nansei Shoto (Ryukyu Islands).
25 March 1944:
Reassigned to SubDiv 51 of Rear Admiral Owada Noboru's (former CO of YAMASHIRO) SubRon 7 in Admiral Takasu Shiro's (former CO of CL ISUZU) Southwest Area Fleet
21 May 1944:
Departs Kure for Saipan.
29 May 1944:
Arrives at Saipan.
30 May 1944:
Departs Saipan for Truk.
8 June 1944:
Departs Truk on her first war patrol to join a patrol line N of New Ireland in the Bismarcks.
14 June 1944:
Redirected to the area N of Guam.
16 June 1944:
Reassigned to the "C" patrol unit with the RO-114, -115 and RO-117.
22 June 1944:
Receives an order to return to base.
27 June 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
10 July 1944:
Departs Truk for Sasebo.
17 July 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo.
1 August 1944:
Lt Harada Kiyoshi (former torpedo officer of RO-111) assumes command.
15 August 1944:
Reassigned with the RO-115 to SubDiv 51 of Rear Admiral Uozumi Jisaku's (former CO of HAGURO) SubRon 8, Sixth Fleet.
7 September 1944:
Departs Kure for Penang, Malaya.
27 September 1944:
Arrives at Penang.
25 October 1944:
Departs Penang on her second war patrol for the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean.
6 November 1944:
Bay of Bengal. The RO-113 torpedoes and sinks the 3,827-ton British merchant MARION MOLLER at 10-40N, 81-10E. She is the last Allied vessel torpedoed by IJN submarines in the Indian Ocean.
After the attack, the RO-113 is chased by destroyers HMS QUALITY, QUADRANT and ROEBUCK that arrive at the scene a few hours later. British Task Force 66, with escort carriers HMS BEGUM and SHAH, is also involved in the chase of RO-113.
13 November 1944:
Returns to Penang.
28 November 1944:
Departs Penang on her third war patrol to the Bay of Bengal on a patrol and supply mission.
3 December 1944:
Bay of Bengal, off Madras. The RO-113 is attacked by an RAF Consolidated B-24 "Liberator”, but sustains no damage.
18 December 1944:
Lt Harada reports sinking a transport in the Bay of Bengal.
19 December 1944:
Lt Harada reports sinking a second transport in the Bay of Bengal. Postwar, neither of his two claims are substantiated.
28 December 1944:
Off Penang. About noon, the returning RO-113 is attacked by LtCdr Alastair Mars submarine HMS THULE. Mars fires a spread of six torpedoes. All explode prematurely, but Mars thinks he has sunk the RO boat and claims a kill.
9 January 1945: American Operation "MIKE ONE" - The Invasion of Luzon :
Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Thomas C. Kinkaid's Task Force 77 lands almost 175,000 men of General Walter Krueger's Sixth Army under cover of heavy gunfire from Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Jesse B. Oldendorf's TG 77.2 bombardment force and aircraft of Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Calvin T. Durgin's TG 77.4. In a five-month campaign, the Sixth Army defeats General Yamashita Tomoyuki's defenders.
20 January 1945:
Departs Penang for Singapore. That same day, departs Singapore for the western coast of Luzon, Philippines.
26 January 1945:
Reassigned to the Advance Patrol Unit.
7 February 1945:
Arrives at Takao, Formosa.
9 February 1945:
The RO-113 departs Takao for Batulinao, northern Luzon, Philippines to evacuate stranded pilots and return them to Takao.
13 February 1945:
Babuyan Island, Luzon Strait, Philippines. Cdr John K. Fyfe's USS BATFISH (SS-310) is on patrol on the surface At 0215, Fyfe's SJ radar picks up a contact at 220 degrees, range 10,700 yards. At 0241, the range is 7,150 yards, but the target submerges and contact is broken.
At 0310, the Japanese submarine resurfaces and is picked up by the BATFISH's APR radar detector. The target now bears at 336 degrees, range 9,800 yards. At 0412, at 6,800 yards range, Cdr Fyfe dives on the target's track and comes to radar-depth. He sets his torpedoes for 6 feet on an 80 starboard track, gyros set at zero for a 1,500 yard torpedo run, using a 1 knot speed spread. At 0448, Fyfe fires three stern torpedoes at the target.
At 0449, the first torpedo hits. Fyfe sees a large yellow ball of fire through his periscope as the target blows apart and sinks immediately. The second and third torpedoes miss because the RO-113 sinks so quickly at 19-10N, 121-23E.
20 February 1945:
Presumed lost with all all 59 hands off Luzon.
10 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
Special thanks for assistance in researching the IJN officers mentioned in this TROM go to Mr. Jean-François Masson of Canada. Thanks also go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. – Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
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