In the bleak final months of 1942,
even the most optimistic US commanders quivered at the thought of the Japanese
Navy’s potential for destruction. Their nightmares soon turned into a harrowing
catastrophe on the night of September 15. Dashing deftly under the waves, a
lone Japanese submarine, under the command of the intrepid Takakazu Kinashi,
infiltrated the perimeter where USS Wasp and her accompanying vessels were escorting
transport ships destined for Guadalcanal. Encountering no resistance, the stealthy
Submarine I-19 maneuvered herself into a perfect position, poised to strike
the massive USS Wasp aircraft carrier. Kinashi unleashed a torrent of six
oxygen-fueled Type 95 torpedoes in a heartbeat, carving a path of devastation.
Three struck true, ripping enormous gashes in the carrier’s hull and igniting violent
fires within the beleaguered warship. Despite the valiant efforts of US sailors, who fought tooth and nail to quench the
flames, the fate of USS Wasp was sealed. Yet, the infamous path of devastation of Japan’s
most notorious submarine had just begun... A Submarine Superpower Japan’s insular geography and limited
landmass were instrumental in driving its aggressive expansionist ambitions,
which would climax in the 1930s. The circumstances would forge a nation that
thrived on the art of seaborne warfare. The fierce tradition of naval combat
ran deep in the veins of its troops, a direct consequence of the nation’s
geopolitical history, culture, and constraints. The vast expanse of the world’s largest ocean,
the Pacific, presented the Japanese Navy with a formidable challenge that would lead them to
adopt a unique approach to submarine development. Regardless of their foe, most enemy
fleets and bases loomed at an immense distance. Japan’s main islands, on
the other hand, were limited in size and did not require a massive fleet
to protect them from enemy attacks. Consequently, apart from midget submarines, the
Imperial Japanese Navy rejected the development of short-range or coastal submarines as
so many other nations were doing. Instead, they forged a staggering
array of submarine classes, assembling the most diverse fleet of
submergible warships of World War 2. This impressive arsenal would ultimately
include manned torpedoes, midget submarines, medium-range submarines, purpose-built supply
submarines, fleet submarines, and high-speed submarines boasting the second-fastest
submerged speed achieved during the war. One of the areas where Japanese
submarine development excelled was in creating aircraft-carrying submarines, further
extending their capabilities. But the warships not only shone at traversing the vastness of the
Pacific, they also wielded astonishing firepower. Japanese submarines were armed with one
of the most advanced torpedoes of the era, the oxygen-fueled Type 95, a projectile so
exceptional it had double the operational range of many Allied torpedoes while
carrying a much larger payload. This torpedo was a close relative of the famed
Type 93 Long Lance employed by surface vessels. Its deployment only reinforced the Japanese
Navy’s fierce reputation on the high seas. By the time World War 2 erupted, the Japanese
Empire had one of the most powerful, diverse, and far-reaching submarine fleets in the world. A Marvel of Engineering Under this unique and thriving
submarine developing doctrine, the exceptional Type B submarine class
emerged. Classified as a fleet submarine, Type B stood among the most triumphant
of Japan’s underwater warship designs. The fearsome I-19 was the first vessel
of the Type B1 subclass to be built, and it would set the stage for an incredible
career for the rest of her sister ships. These submarines were designed to venture
far beyond Japanese territories, utilizing an onboard floatplane to detect, track, and
ultimately annihilate enemy warships before they could threaten the main Japanese
battle fleet or assail Japanese lands. Capable of achieving nearly
24 knots on the surface, propelled by a 12,500-horsepower diesel
engine, and eight knots underwater using a 2,000-horsepower electric motor, these
submarines boasted an impressive range. The later models could cover approximately
100 miles at their most economical setting. Apart from the aircraft, the ship came equipped
with a 5.5-inch deck gun for surface targets, a pair of 25-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, and six bow torpedo tubes, which would
be updated to 17 by the end of the war. Some vessels in this class would entirely
forgo the aircraft hangar in favor of an additional 5.5-inch gun or several Kaiten manned
torpedoes, essentially underwater kamikazes. I-19, the fifth Type B vessel to be
built, was laid down in March 1938, launched in September 1939, and commissioned
in April 1941. By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, she was already an active and
formidable member of Japan’s naval forces. A Second Pearl Harbor Attack In her first notable operation, I-19 returned
to where the war with the US started to deploy its floatplane for a nocturnal reconnaissance
mission over Pearl Harbor in February 1942. This was part of the lesser-known follow-up attack
on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, Operation K. Japan wanted to assess the damage they
had dealt to the naval base and gather intelligence on how fast the US was rebuilding
their infrastructure and repairing their damaged ships. The Imperial Navy intended to blow
such operations to shreds in one fell swoop. The mission involved using two colossal
H8K flying boats to bomb the recovery efforts at the naval base, thereby impeding
American preparations for a counterstrike. The two massive warplanes took off from the
Marshall Islands carrying a payload of over 4,400 pounds of explosives. They dashed across
the Pacific in a secretive 2,460-mile journey to Hawaii. If anything had survived the
first attack on the American Naval base, these Japanese airmen were
determined to destroy it. As the bomb-laden warplanes descended over
Hawaii and pierced US airspace guided by the intelligence gathered by I-19’s aircraft, the
stage seemed set for another successful raid on American assets. The sky was mostly clear, and
the moonlight brightly lit the pilot’s targets. However, only two of the aircraft managed to reach
the target. Due to a combination of sudden gusts of wind, blackout conditions, and radio issues,
their payload missed the objective entirely. The total damage amounted to merely
a handful of broken windows. However, the operation set the record for
long-range bombing at the time. Amusingly, the Americans failed to realize they
had been attacked. The primary consequence of the Japanese strike was a protracted argument
between the US Army and the US Navy, each accusing the other of being irresponsible
enough to detonate explosives near Pearl Harbor. Hunting Down USS Wasp I-19’s first major mission turned out to be a significant disappointment which did
not accomplish any of her objectives during the operation. But there was more
to come from the submarine and her crew. Six months later, during the Guadalcanal campaign, the submarine, ambushing Allied ships on
its own, stumbled upon the opportunity to execute one of the most successful single
torpedo attacks in history, and she seized it. Patrolling south of the Solomon Islands, the
submarine sighted the carrier USS Wasp, which was escorting marine transports and, ironically
enough, carrying out anti-submarine operations. At the time, Wasp was refueling and rearming
aircraft while launching new planes and recovering the previous patrol. Orchestrating the
complex aircraft maneuvers had the crew of the American ship occupied and somewhat distracted,
making everything ideal for an enemy ambush. The scenario couldn’t be better for Kinashi and
his crew; there was nothing more glorious for a submarine skipper than to sink an enemy
capital ship. In the Pacific Theater, no ship was more valuable
than an aircraft carrier. The silent Japanese submarine positioned
herself alarmingly close to USS Wasp, a risky maneuver as she drastically increased
the chances of detection. But Kinashi was willing to take the risk to set
the stage for a perfect strike. Chaos Aboard The I-19 fired a full spread of six
torpedoes. The projectiles dashed under the waves, leaving an ominous
yet barely visible wake behind them. At the last moment, US lookouts spotted
three of the incoming projectiles; the men screamed furiously, and alarms rang across
the massive warship, prompting Wasp to turn hard starboard. But as fiercely as the crew tried, the
14,900-ton behemoth could not turn fast enough. A second later, the three torpedoes
struck in quick succession. One, possibly affected by the explosions of the
other two, emerged from the water and hit above the waterline. All three struck
the ship’s fuel tanks and magazines. As chaos engulfed Wasp and her crew,
the other three torpedoes fired by I-19 continued to dart underwater.
The projectiles missed the carrier, but as if guided by destiny, they were now
in the path of the other American warships. Two projectiles narrowly missed USS Helena
and headed for the destroyer USS O’Brien, which veered madly in the last second,
dodging one but colliding with the other. The last torpedo passed under
Wasp, missed USS Lansdowne, and struck the battleship USS
North Carolina a few minutes later. I-19’s violent torpedo barrage instantly became
one of history’s most lethal submarine attacks. Aboard Wasp, tanks and ammunition stores
ignited major fires that triggered even more explosions as they reached
additional ready-use ammunition. Breached water mains left the crew unable to
fight the fires, which continued to consume anything explosive or flammable. The inferno
even set the sea aflame as oil and petrol leaked onto the water’s surface, creating a
nightmarish scene around the doomed warship. An order was given to abandon ship just
as US destroyers furiously depth-charged the location where they believed I-19
to be. The destroyers unleashed all of their anti-submarine weaponry to allow
rescue efforts for Wasp’s crew to commence. Aftermath The evacuation was underway despite the growing
firestorm swallowing the ship. The process took over 40 minutes, and once the captain was
sure no survivors were left on the carrier, he ordered the massive ship to
be scuttled by US destroyers. The ship’s sturdiness and the awful performance
of the American Mark 14 and Mark 15 torpedoes resulted in the carrier taking a long time to
sink, finally plummeting bow first at 9:00pm. The heavily damaged O’Brien managed
to travel almost 3,000 miles further before succumbing to the damage and
sinking before she could reach port. Despite a 32-foot hole in her side,
North Carolina maintained formation but required over a month in drydock for repairs. During the attack, 193 men
perished, and 366 were wounded. All but one of the 26 airborne aircraft made
a safe journey to the nearby carrier Hornet before Wasp sank, but 45
aircraft went down with the ship. Another Japanese submarine, I-15, diligently
observed and reported the sinking of Wasp while other US destroyers kept the I-19
occupied. Skillfully evading 80 depth charges, the I-19 escaped untouched and accomplished a
legendary feat. She would go on to reinforce and resupply Japanese garrisons in the area before
evacuating them as part of the Tokyo Express. Furthermore, the infamous I-19 would continue
her destructive path as she operated near Fiji, sinking cargo vessels for months.
Later, in a sinister incident, the I-19 surfaced and machine-gunned survivors
of a sunken ship while in their lifeboats. Shortly after, USS Radford made contact
on the surface using radar. It was I-19, which immediately submerged. Radford pursued
the submarine with depth charges. Again, the submarine deftly evaded the
explosives until her luck ran out, and at least one of the charges found its mark. The I-19 was lost with all hands shortly
before midnight on November 25, 1943. The rampage of the most successful Japanese
submarine in the Pacific Theater had ended. Thank you for watching Dark Seas! For
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