SENSUIKAN!

© 2001 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp

30 June 1926:
The RO-65 is completed at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding's Kobe Yard and commissioned in the IJN.

2 December 1941: Operation "Z":
The coded signal "Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mt. Niitaka) 1208" is received from the Combined Fleet. It signifies that hostilities will commence on 8 December (Japan time). Mt. Niitaka, located in Formosa (now Taiwan), is then the highest point in the Japanese Empire.

5 December 1941:
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. The RO-65 is in Captain Fukaya Sokichi's SubDiv 27 of Rear Admiral Onishi Shinzo's SubRon 7 in Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shigeyoshi's (former CO of HIEI) Fourth Fleet with the RO-66 and RO-67. LtCdr Yoshimatsu Tamori is the Commanding Officer.

SubDiv 27 departs Kwajalein for Roi.

6 December 1941:
Departs Roi for the Wake Island area.

8 December 1941: The First Attack on Wake Island:
Kwajalein. SubDiv 26 is on 'standby alert' at the outbreak of hostilities.

Wake Island is assaulted by Rear Admiral (Vice Admiral, posthumously) Kajioka Sadamichi's (former CO of KISO) Occupation Group: DesRon 6's light cruiser YUBARI, eight destroyers, two transports and the RO-65, -66 and the RO-67. The United States Marines beat back the first assault with their 5-inch shore batteries. Kajioka loses LtCdr Takatsuka Minoru's destroyer HAYATE to the shore batteries and LtCdr Ogawa Yoichiro's destroyer KISARAGI to Marine Grumman F4F "Wildcats".

12 December 1941:
CarDiv 2's HIRYU and the SORYU are detached from Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Nagumo Chuichi's (former CO of YAMASHIRO) Striking Force returning from Pearl Harbor to reinforce Kajioka, as is Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Abe Hiroaki's (former CO of FUSO) CruDiv 8's TONE, CHIKUMA and two destroyers. Rear Admiral (Vice Admiral, posthumously) Goto Aritomo's (former CO of MUTSU) CruDiv 6's AOBA, KINUGASA, KAKO, FURUTAKA, seaplane tender CHIYODA and two other destroyers also reinforce Kajioka. Rear Admiral Abe, now senior officer present, has overall command.

SubDiv 26's RO-61, -60 and the RO-62 are assigned to the reinforced Wake Occupation Group.

13 December 1941:
Departs the patrol area.

17 December 1941:
Returns to Kwajalein with the RO-67.

23 December 1941: The Second Attack on Wake Island:
After a magnificent stand, Wake's garrison is overwhelmed and surrenders.

25 December 1941:
Departs Kwajalein for Howland.

2 January 1942:
Returns to Kwajalein.

7 January 1942:
Departs Kwajalein for Truk with the RO-67.

11 January 1942:
Arrives at Truk.

16 January 1942:
Departs Truk to patrol S of the Cape St. George with the RO-67 to support the invasion of Rabaul.

21 January 1942:
SubDiv 27 and SubDiv 23 are assigned to patrol and attack enemy craft in the St George Straits. The squadron is in the area for several days, but no Allied warships are sighted.

29 January 1942:
Returns to Truk.

10 February 1942:
SubDiv 27 is disbanded. RO-65 and -67 are reassigned to SubDiv 26.

15 February 1942:
LtCdr Torisu Kennosuke is assigned as the CO.

18 February 1942:
Departs Truk with the RO-67 to reconnoiter the Makin area.

28 February 1942:
Arrives at Ponape.

3 March 1942:
Departs Ponape for the Makin area.

17 March 1942:
Arrives at Jaluit, departs on the next day.

24 March 1942:
Arrives at Saipan.

27 March 1942:
Departs Saipan for Sasebo.

2 April 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo.

30 May 1942:
LtCdr Yamaguchi Kazuo is assigned as CO. Cdr Torisu is reassigned as the CO of the I-165.

30 June 1942:
Sasebo. LtCdr Egi Shoichi assumes command.

14 July 1942:
SubDiv 26 is reassigned to the Fifth Fleet.

10 September 1942:
Departs Sasebo with the RO-67 for Ominato.

13 September 1942:
Arrives at Ominato.

15 September 1942:
Departs Ominato for Paramushiro.

19 September 1942:
Arrives at Paramushiro. 21 September 1942:
Departs Paramushiro for Kiska.

26 September 1942:
Arrives at Kiska just in time for an American air attack. The RO-67 is repeatedly strafed and receives several near misses. Her periscopes and both electric engines are rendered inoperable. Departs for Ominato.

28 September 1942:
Another air attack on Kiska. RO-65 is strafed by fighter planes and receives minor damage to her conning tower.

1 October 1942:
Departs Kiska to reconnoiter Cold Bay with the RO-62.

10 October 1942:
Penetrates Cold Bay.

15 October 1942:
Returns to Kiska.

17 October 1942:
Following the loss of destroyer OBORO in an air attack N of Kiska, the RO-65 is dispatched to rescue her crew and to stand by to rescue the crew of the damaged destroyer HATSUHARU.

19 October 1942:
Departs her patrol area.

21 October 1942:
The RO-65 is redirected to reconnoiter Attu.

23 October 1942:
Reconnoiters Holz Bay, Attu.

31 October 1942:
Returns to Kiska.

4 November 1942:
Kiska. USAAF 11th AF B-24 "Liberator" bombers raid the shipping in the harbor. After the air raid alarm has been given, all submarines in the harbor crash-dive immediately. The Ro-65 dives with her conning tower hatch and main induction valve still open. The quartermaster attempts to secure the lower hatch but the inrushing water shoves him aside.

The boat is heavily flooded and her stern receives a 30-degree down angle, until it touches the seabed. Seventeen sailors in the aft compartments and two machinists’ mates from the diesel engine compartment drown. A total of 45 sailors escape through the forward torpedo tubes. After the bow has lost all buoyancy, the RO-65 sinks at 51-58N, 177-33E.

LtCdr Egi survives the accident and is later reassigned as the CO of RO-107.

1 August 1943:
Removed from the Navy List.

September 1989:
Kiska. The RO-65 is surveyed by divers from the USS SAFEGUARD (ARS-50).**

---

Authors' Notes:
*Author Brian Garfield claims that Major Wilbur Miller, USAAF sank the RO-65 and then was himself shot down. Some Japanese sources claim the RO-65 was lost as the result of accidental mishandling after bomb damage.

**The divers find the RO-65's diving planes in a horizontal position, rather than pointed downward as they would be if she dove to escape the bombing. This finding tends to support the argument that her loss was due to an accident, except that there is external structural damage to her pressure hull and all her conning tower material lays off the side of her hull. Although this supports the bombing argument, it could be argued that the damage happened after her sinking.

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

---

Back to Submarine Page