Okinawa Base Kaiten Group
"Hakuryu"
Troopship No.18
(Sortie 13 March, 1945)
Commemorative Picture
before boarding Troopship No.18, heading for Okinawa
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Inokuma, Petty Officer Shinno, Petty
Officer Tanaka, Maintenance Chief Tarui, Ensign Yoshida,
Sub-lieutenant Kawai, Commander Nagai, Staff Officer Itakura, Ensign
Hotta, Ensign Shimatai, Chief Engineer Kawada, Flight Petty Officer
2nd Class Akachika, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Ito and Lieutenant
Commander Koreeda (Sitting in the 2nd row from the left)
Commemorative Picture for
the Sortie
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Akachika, Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Inokuma, Petty Officer 2nd Class Shinno, Sub-lieutenant Kawai,
Commander Nagai, Ensign Hotta, Petty Officer 2nd Class Tanaka and
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Ito (Front from the left)
Lieutenant Commander Koreeda, Unknown, Chief Engineer Kawada, Ensign
Shimatai, Ensign Yoshida, Maintenance Chief Tarui, Staff Officer
Arichika and Staff Officer Itakura (Back from the left)
Troopship No.18 departed
Hikari Base and headed for Okinawa. Sunken by the U.S. submarine
Springer in the area of sea west of Okinawa on 18 March. All of the
crews died.
Kaiten pilots Sub-lieutenant Fujio Kawai (72nd Naval Academy
graduate), Ensign Konosuke Hotta (Kyoto University), Petty Officer
2nd Class Morio Shinno, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kinnosuke Tanaka,
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Fusazo Inokuma, Flight Petty Officer
2nd Class Chuzo Akachika and Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Sukeyuki
Ito died. Chief Petty Officer Tatsuo Tarui and officers of 119
(details unknown) for the Base died. Troopship crews of 225 with
Captain Masaru Otsuki (Lieutenant) died.
Next (Kaiten Group
"Tatara")