IJN Submarine RO-68:
Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2001-2011 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp:
Revision 1
6 February 1924:
Kobe. Laid down Mitsubishi Shipbuilding as a 990-ton L4 submarine.
23 February 1925:
Launched and designated RO-68.
1 July 1925:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Nakamura Motoji (39) is posted Chief Equipping Officer.
29 October 1925:
Kobe. RO-68 is completed at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and attached to the Maizuru Naval Base. Assigned to SubDiv33. Lt Nakamura is the CO.
1 December 1925:
Lt Nakamura is promoted LtCdr.
1 December 1926:
LtCdr (later Admiral, posthumously) Takagi Takeo (39) is posted CO. LtCdr Nakamura is later posted CO of I-21.
1 December 1927:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Nabeshima Shunsaku (42) (former Staff, SubRon 2) is posted CO. LtCdr Takagi is posted to the Staff of SubRon 2.
10 December 1928:
Placed in Reserve. LtCdr Nabeshima is posted CO of I-55.
1 November 1929:
Lt (later LtCdr) Hayashi Kazuo (45) is posted CO.
30 November 1929:
Lt Hayashi is promoted LtCdr.
1 December 1931:
Lt (later Captain) Fujimoto Tsuto (48) is posted CO. LtCdr Hayashi is posted CO of I-61.
1 September 1933:
Cdr (later Rear Admiral) Ohashi Tatsuo (40) (current ComSubDiv 25) is posted CO as an additional duty. Lt Fujimoto is reassigned.
15 November 1933:
Cdr Ohashi assumes full-time command of RO-68.
30 November 1933:
LtCdr Fujimoto is posted CO for a second time. Cdr Ohashi is later posted to the Staff of the Kure Navy Yard's Submarine Bureau.
1 June 1934:
LtCdr (later Captain) Koizumi Kiichi (49) is posted CO. LtCdr Fujimoto is posted CO of I-24.
15 November 1935:
LtCdr (later Captain) Shichiji Tsuneo (49) is posted CO. LtCdr Koizumi is later posted CO of I-24.
20 June 1936:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral, posthumously) Emi Tetsuhiro (50) (former Staff, SubRon 1) is posted CO. LtCdr Shichiji is posted CO of KIKUZUKI.
1 December 1936:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral, posthumously) Irie Tatsushi (51) is posted CO. LtCdr Emi is posted CO of I-67.
20 March 1937:
LtCdr (later Captain) Tagami Meiji (51) is posted CO. LtCdr Irie is later posted CO of I-53.
1 July 1937:
Placed in Reserve. LtCdr Tagami is later posted CO of RO-63.
1 December 1937:
LtCdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Togami Ichiro (51) (former CO of RO-65) is posted CO.
30 July 1938:
LtCdr (later Cdr, posthumously) Hirokawa Takashi (51) (former CO of RO-33) is posted CO. LtCdr Togami is later posted CO of I-72.
15 November 1939:
Maizuru. RO-68 is assigned to SubRon 7's SubDiv 33, Fourth Fleet.
25 November 1939:
LtCdr (Captain, posthumously) Harada Hakue (52) is posted CO. LtCdr Hirokawa is later posted CO of I-61, and is killed when she is lost in a diving accident.
20 March 1940:
LtCdr (Cdr, posthumously) Taoka Kiyoshi (55) (former CO of RO-63 / RO-66) is posted CO. LtCdr Harada is later posted CO of RO-65.
15 October 1940:
LtCdr ( Captain, posthumously) Tanaka Makio (52) (current CO of RO-62) is posted CO as an additional duty. LtCdr Taoka is later posted CO of I-54.
30 October 1940:
LtCdr Tanaka assumes full-time command of RO-68.
31 July 1941:
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Izutsu Monshiro (57) (former CO of RO-63) is posted CO. LtCdr Tanaka is later promoted Cdr and posted CO of I-166.
15 October 1941:
Lt Izutsu is promoted LtCdr.
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.
4 December 1941:
At Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. RO-68 is in Captain Nagai Takeo's (47) SubDiv 33 of Rear Admiral Onishi Shinzo's (42) SubRon 7, Fourth Fleet with RO-63 and RO-65. LtCdr Izutsu Monshiro is the Commanding Officer.
At 1400 (JST), departs Kwajalein at 1400 (JST) with the RO-64 to reconnoiter the Phoenix islands.
10 December 1941:
Redirected to Baker Island in search of a suspected flying boat base.
11 December 1941:
RO-68 surfaces off Baker Island and shells the local weather and radio stations from 0345 to 0410 (JST).
15 December 1941:
Returns to Kwajalein with RO-64.
24 December 1941:
Departs Kwajalein for Wake Island.
27 December 1941:
Arrives at Wake.
29 December 1941:
Departs Wake to patrol in the vicinity.
1 January 1942:
Returns to Wake.
2 January 1942:
Departs Wake for Truk.
7 January 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
15 January 1942:
Departs Truk with RO-63 and RO-64 to reconnoiter Rabaul, New Britain. Patrols S of Cape St. George.
29 January 1942:
Returns to Truk.
18 February 1942:
Departs Truk for the Marshalls area with RO-63 and RO-64.
23 February 1942:
Arrives at Ponape.
24 February 1942:
Departs Ponape with the RO-63 and RO-64 for the Marshalls.
11 March 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
16 March 1942:
Departs Kwajalein.
19 March 1942:
Arrives at Ponape, departs the next day.
24 March 1942:
Arrives at Saipan.
26 March 1942:
Departs Saipan for Maizuru with RO-63.
3 April 1942:
Arrives at Maizuru.
10 April 1942:
RO-68 is in SubRon 7's SubDiv 33, Fourth Fleet with RO-63 and RO-64.
23 May 1942:
Lt Cdr, posthumously) Manabe Masateru (60) is posted CO. LtCdr Izutsu is later posted CO of I-153.
5 June 1942:
Departs Maizuru for Saipan.
13 June 1942:
Arrives at Saipan, departs for Truk thereafter.
27 June 1942:
Departs Truk for Yokosuka.
4 July 1942:
Arrives at Yokosuka.
14 July 1942:
SubDiv 33 is transferred to the Fifth Fleet.
24 July 1942:
Departs Yokosuka for Paramushiro with RO-63 and RO-64.
29 July 1942:
Arrives at Paramushiro.
31 July 1942:
Departs Paramushiro for Kiska with RO-68.
4 August 1942:
Arrives at Kiska.
7 August 1942:
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) William W. Smith's (USNA ’09)(former Chief of Staff to Admiral H. E. Kimmel (USNA ’04)) TG 8.6 shells Kiska. RO-68, RO-61, RO-64, and I-6 are anchored in the harbor. They crash-dive to escape damage. After the bombardment, some of the submarines are sent to intercept the task group, but they fail to overtake the enemy.
8 to 10 August 1942:
RO-68, RO-61, RO-63 and RO-64 sortie to intercept TG 8.6 but fail to make the contact.
11 to 13 August 1942:
Conducts search for the crew of a ditched reconnaissance plane.
17 to 20 August 1942:
Departs Kiska to patrol in the vicinity of the island.
28 to 30 August 1942:
Departs Kiska to patrol in the vicinity.
3 to 5 September 1942:
Departs Kiska to patrol in the vicinity.
6 to 11 September 1942:
Departs Kiska to patrol in the vicinity.
14 September 1942:
Kiska. USAAF B-17s and B-24s escorted by Lockheed P-38 "Lightnings"and Bell P-39 "Airacobras"of the USAAF's 11th Air Force bomb shipping in the harbor. RO-68 is strafed by P-39s. Both of her periscopes are rendered inoperable.
22 to 24 September 1942:
Departs Kiska to patrol S of the island.
25 September 1942:
SubDiv 33 is reassigned to the Kure SubRon.
26 September 1942:
Departs Kiska for Maizuru with RO-63 and RO-64.
5 October 1942:
Arrives at Maizuru.
5 November 1942:
ComSubDiv 33 Captain ( Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kato Ryonosuke (48) is posted CO "on paper". Lt Manabe is posted Chief Equipping Officer of RO-35.
6 November 1942:
Departs Maizuru for Kure.
8 November 1942:
Arrives at Kure, used as training boat thereafter.
1 January 1943:
RO-68 is in the Kure SubRon's SubDiv 33 with RO-63 and RO-64. Training duties.
16 March 1943:
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Tategami Rikuta (60) is posted CO. Captain Kato resumes full-time duty as ComSubDiv 33.
1 August 1943:
LtCdr Suzuki Shokichi assumes command of the RO-68. LtCdr Tategami is later reassigned as the CO of RO-39.
1 January 1944:
RO-68 is in the Kure SubRon's SubDiv 33 with RO-63, RO-64 and RO-67. Continues training duties.
20 January 1944:
Lt (j.g.) (later Lt) Sugamasa Tetsuaki (65) is posted CO. Lt Suzuki is posted Chief Equipping Officer of RO-46.
1 March 1944:
Lt (j.g.) Sugamasa is promoted Lt.
20 March 1944:
Lt Uesugi Kazou (63) (former CO of RO-109) is posted CO. In a change-of-command swap, Lt Sugamasa is posted CO of RO-109.
1 June 1944:
Lt (later LtCdr) Amai Kenji (66) is posted CO.
1 July 1944:
Lt Uesugi is posted CO for a second time. Lt Amai is later posted Chief Equipping Officer of I-202.
15 August 1944:
The RO-68 is reassigned to Kure Guard Unit.
13 October 1944:
Lt Uesugi is posted CO of RO-112 as an additional duty.
14 October 1944:
Lt Yamanaka Shuichi (66) is posted CO. Lt Uesugi assumes full-time command of RO-112.
1 January 1945:
The RO-68 is in the Kure Naval District with RO-62 and RO-500.
5 May 1945:
The RO-68 is reassigned to SubDiv 51 of SubRon 7 with the RO-500 (ex-U 511).
1 June 1945:
Lt Samejima Osamu (67) (former CO of RO-67) is posted CO. Lt Yamanaka is later posted CO of I-502.
15 August 1945: Cessation of Hostilities:
Maizuru. RO-68 is surendered.
30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
30 April 1946:
Scuttled off Maizuru Bay with I-121 and RO-500.
Authors' Note:
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan and to Matt Jones for additional CO info.
– Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
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