Kaiten Group
"Chihaya"
Submarine I-368, I-370 and
I-44
Sortie 20 through 22 February,
1945
Submarine I-368
Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Isobe, Ensign Ishida, Captain Irisawa, Chief Officer Miwa,
Sub-lieutenant Kawasaki, Ensign Nanba and Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Shibazaki (Front from the left)
Sub-lieutenant Kawasaki,
Ensign Ishida, Ensign Nanba, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Isobe and
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Shibazaki (From the left)
Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Isobe, Ensign Ishida, Sub-lieutenant Kawasaki, Ensign Nanba and
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Shibazaki (From the left)
Crews were boarding the Submarine I-368, receiving a grand send-off.
People were lined up all the way to the pier.
The Submarine I-368
departed on 20 February, headed for the area of sea around Iwo-jima
Island but was missing in action. (The Submarine I-368 was sunken on
26 February according to the U.S. record.)
Kaiten pilots Sub-lieutenant Junji Kawasaki (53rd Naval Engineering
School graduate), Ensign Toshio Ishida (Takushoku University), Ensign
Susumu Nanba (Chuo University, Dept. of Law), Flight Petty Officer
2nd Class Takeo Isobe and Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Shoshichi
Shibazaki died with the crews of 104 and Captain Mitsuteru Irisawa
(Lieutenant Commander.)
Submarine I-370
Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Urasa, Ensign Ichikawa, Ensign Okayama, Ensign Tanaka and
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Kumada (From the left)
Ensign Okayama, receiving
a headband under the carp streamer which was put up to celebrate the
sortie.
Ensign Ichikawa, receiving
a headband
Kaiten pilots waved their
Japanese swords on the vessel which began to pick up speed.
The Submarine I-370
departed on 21 February, headed for the area of sea around Iwo-jima
Island but was missing in action. (The Submarine I-370 was sunken on
26 February according to the U.S. record.)
Kaiten pilots, Ensign Itaru Okayama (54th Naval Engineering School
graduate), Ensign Takatsugu Ichikawa (Waseda University), Ensign Jiro
Tanaka (Keio University), Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Toichi
Urasa, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Takakazu Kumada died with the
crews of 104 and Captain Susumu Fujikawa (Lieutenant).
Submarine I-44
Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Sugawara, Ensign Isumi, Captain Kawaguchi, Chief Officer Miwa,
Sub-lieutenant Doi and Ensign Tatewaki (From the left)
The Submarine I-44
departed on 22 February, headed for Iwo-jima Island but couldn't
break through the enemy's patrolling and came back on 9 March.
Next (Kaiten Group
"Shinmu")