Kaiten Group "Tatara"
Submarine I-47, I-56, I-58 and I-44
(Sortie 28 March, 1945 through 3 April, 1945)
Submarine I-47
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Yokota, Petty
Officer 1st Class Yamaguchi, Sub-lieutenant Maeda, Captain Orita,
Chief Officer Miwa, Sub-lieutenant Kakizaki, Chief Petty Officer
Furukawa and Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Shinkai (From the left)
Received short swords.
Captain Orita, Sub-lieutenant Kakizaki, Sub-lieutenant Maeda, Chief
Petty Officer Furukawa, Petty Officer 1st Class Yamaguchi, Flight
Petty Officer 2nd Class Shinkai and Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class
Yokota (From the left)
The Submarine I-47 departed on 28 March.
She headed for the area of sea around Okinawa, but subjected to
depthcharge attacks and came back on 1 April.
Submarine I-56
Commemorative Picture for the Sortie
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Yashiro, Flight Petty Officer 2nd
Class Miyazaki, Ensign Yagi, Captain Shoda, Chief Officer Miwa,
Sub-lieutenant Fukushima, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Kawanami and
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Ishijiki (From the left)
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Ishijiki, Flight
Petty Officer 2nd Class Miyazaki, Sub-lieutenant Fukushima, Ensign
Yagi, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Kawanami and Flight Petty
Officer 2nd Class Yashiro (From the left)
Kaiten pilots heading for the pier (First six men
were maintenance men)
The Submarine I-56 headed for the area of
sea around Okinawa, but was missing in action. She was sunken on 5
April according to the U.S. record.
Kaiten pilots Seiji Fukushima (72nd Naval Academy graduate), Ensign
Hiroshi Yagi (Kansai University), Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class
Yoshikatsu Kawanami, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Goro Ishijiki,
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Kazuo Miyazaki, Flight Petty Officer
2nd Class Seiji Yashiro, Captain Keiji Shoda (Ensign) and the crews
of 112 died.
Submarine I-58
Unknown, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Irie,
Ensign Sonoda, Captain Hashimoto, Chief Officer Miwa, Sub-lieutenant
Ikebuchi, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Yanagitani and Commander
Nagai (Front from the left)
The Submarine I-58 headed for the area of
sea around Okinawa, but couldn't break through the enemy's
patrolling. Also, rough weather made her to come back on 29
April.
Submarine I-44
Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Sugahara, Ensign
Isumi, Captain Masuzawa, Chief Officer Miwa, Sub-lieutenant Doi and
Ensign Tatewaki (Front from the left)
Sub-lieutenant Doi, receiving a headband
Ensign Isumi was offered Sake.
Kaiten pilots were answering to the send-off with
smile. Sending them off were the 74th Naval Academy graduates, who
had just arrived.
The Submarine I-44 headed for the area of
sea around Okinawa, but was missing in action. She was sunken on 17
April according to the U.S. record.
Kaiten pilots Sub-lieutenant Hideo Doi (72nd Naval Academy graduate),
Ensign Yasuhiko Isumi (The University of Tokyo), Ensign Takaharu
Tatewaki, Flight Petty Officer 2nd Class Hikogo Sugawara, Captain
Seiji Masuzawa (Lieutenant Commander) and the other crews of 130
died.
Next (Kaiten Group
"Tenmu")