Wreck of HIJMS I-183

 Second World War 1939-1945, shipwreck

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Laid down at the Kawasaki Kobe Yard in December 1941 as a Type KD-VII Class submarine, the I-183 commissioned into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in October 1943 and was assigned to Submarine Squadron 11, IJN First Fleet.

Departing for crew training in Hiroshima Bay on October 6th, the I-183 began diving exercises at 0900hrs as her crew familiarized themselves with her equipment. While executing a crash-dive at 1040hrs, a crewman failed to close a Stern valve onboard the sub before she submerged, leading to her flooding and sinking in shallow water off Ozu Island. Damage control managed to get her bow to the surface and allowed most of her crew to escape through her torpedo tubes, but her Stern remained on the bottom with 16 men trapped inside. Rescue efforts failed to save the men, but the I-183 was salvaged and repaired for her first deployment to her operating base at Palau in late 1943.

Following two unsuccessful war patrols out of Palau, the I-183 and the rest of her squadron came under American air attack in March 1944 while at anchor and were forced to put to sea shortly thereafter when it became clear the anchorage was no longer safe. While underway on the surface, the I-183 suffered an engine casualty and was forced to steam for Kure on one engine so repairs could be effected. Emerging from the yard on April 28th, the I-183 was reassigned to Submarine Division 22 in the IJN's Sixth Fleet and promptly sailed for Truk Atoll with an intended stopover for refueling at Saipan.

That night while running surfaced through the Bungo Straits the I-183 was picked up by the radar system aboard the USS Pogy (SS-266) at 2121hrs, and the American submarine quickly gave chase at flank speed. Lack of radar aboard the I-183 meant her crew were unaware of the Pogy's presence as she stalked their sub and eventually overhauled her during the next several hours. The Pogy used her radar to track her target and stay out of visual range until she was finally in a firing position shortly after midnight and began to slowly close in on still-unaware I-183. At 0034hrs and at a distance of only 1,300 yards, the Pogy fired a spread of four torpedoes into the path of the I-183.

Lookouts aboard the I-183 likely were not aware they were under attack until the first of the Pogy's torpedoes passed ahead of their sub, and even then there was no time for reaction before the second and third struck her hull and detonated, obliterating her pressure hull. Within 40 seconds, the I-183 had sunk with all 92 of her crew at this location at 0036hrs on April 29th, 1944.


www.combinedfleet.com/I-183.htm