SENSUIKAN!

© 2001-2011 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
Revision 2

10 December 1942:
Lt (later Cdr, posthumously) Sato Sakuma (60) (former CO of RO-62) is posted Chief Equipping Officer.

1 May 1943:
Lt Sato is promoted LtCdr.

30 June 1943:
Sasebo Navy Yard. RO-37 is completed and attached to the Maizuru Naval District. LtCdr Sato is the Commanding Officer. On that same day, RO-37 is assigned to SubRon 11.

16 September 1943:
Assigned to the Sixth Fleet.

22 September 1943:
Departs Maizuru for Truk.

24 September 1943: Reassigned to Sixth Fleet, SubRon 1.

7 October 1943:
Arrives at Truk. RO-37 is in Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Shimizu Taro’s (48) SubDiv 34 with RO-36.

20 October 1943:
Departs Truk on her first war patrol to patrol E of the New Hebrides as a part of "A" Group.

31 October 1943:
Reassigned to SubDiv 34.

1 November 1943::
Lt Nomura is promoted LtCdr.

November 1943:
Returns to Truk.

15 December 1943:
Truk. HEIAN MARU transfers stores to RO-37.

31 December 1943:
Truk. HEIAN MARU transfers stores to RO-37.

3 January 1944:
RO-37 departs Truk to patrol off the New Hebrides. No contacts thereafter.

22 January 1944:
Near San Cristobal Island, Solomons. RO-37 sights and torpedoes fleet oiler USS CACHE (AO-67) enroute to Espiritu Santo. LtCdr Sato hits CACHE port side with a torpedo at 12-08S, 164-23E. CACHE sends out a distress call that is picked up by Cdr F. Myhre's nearby USS BUCHANAN (DD-484) enroute to Espirtu Santo from Purvis Bay, Florida Island.

BUCHANAN goes to CACHE's rescue at flank speed. She makes a radar contact at 12,750 yards. Cdr Myhre closes to 2,000 yards, snaps on his searchlight and illuminates a diving submarine. BUCHANAN loses radar contact, but her sonar reacquires the target at 1,250 yards. After two hours of depth charge attacks, the BUCHANAN sinks RO-37 at 11-47S, 164-17E. In the morning, a large amount of debris was sighted in the attack area.

17 February 1944:
Presumed lost with all 61 hands in New Hebrides area.

30 April 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.

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Author's Note:
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan and to Matt Jones for additional Co info in Rev 2.

– Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.

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