Japanese submarine I-34
Encyclopedia
I-34 was a Kaidai Junsen Type B1 class submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy
. During World War II
, while on a Yanagi mission between Japan and Germany carrying strategic raw material and information, she was sunk by the British submarine HMS Taurus
using Ultra
intelligence.
During early 1943 she took part in supply missions and the eventual evacuation of the garrison of Kiska
in the Aleutian Islands.
On 15 September 1943 she was assigned to a Yanagi (exchange) mission to Lorient
, France
. She arrived in Singapore
on 22 October 1943 to take on passengers and cargo for her mission.
I-34 loaded a cargo of raw rubber, tungsten
, tin, quinine
, medicinal opium
and samples of Japanese weapons. She departed for Penang
to load passengers on 11 November 1943. Due to a delay in loading the cargo, her passengers opted to meet her at Penang, thus saving them from death.
Unknown to Commander Irie or the crew, her movements were being tracked by Ultra
intelligence, and a British submarine was sent to sink her.
Taurus fired a salvo of six torpedo
es of which one struck I-34 below the conning tower
, she sank in 100 feet (30 m) of water at 05°17′N 100°05′E. Of her 94 crew, only 14 survived to be picked up by a local junk.
I-34 was removed from the Imperial Japanese Navy list in January 1944. Her wreck was salvaged in 1962.
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, while on a Yanagi mission between Japan and Germany carrying strategic raw material and information, she was sunk by the British submarine HMS Taurus
HMS Taurus (P399)
HMS Taurus was a Second World War British T class submarine, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow.-As HMS Taurus:The submarine was laid down on the 30th of September 1941, and launched on 27 June 1942. She served in the Mediterranean and the Pacific Far East during the Second World War...
using Ultra
Ultra
Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. "Ultra" eventually became the standard...
intelligence.
Commissioning
Her keel was laid down at the Sasebo Dockyard on 1 January 1941; she was launched on 24 September. She was commissioned and assigned to the Kure Naval District on 31 August 1942. Commander Tatsushi Irie (入江達) took command in March 1943.During early 1943 she took part in supply missions and the eventual evacuation of the garrison of Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
in the Aleutian Islands.
On 15 September 1943 she was assigned to a Yanagi (exchange) mission to Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She arrived in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 22 October 1943 to take on passengers and cargo for her mission.
I-34 loaded a cargo of raw rubber, tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, tin, quinine
Quinine
Quinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine which, unlike quinine, is an anti-arrhythmic...
, medicinal opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
and samples of Japanese weapons. She departed for Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
to load passengers on 11 November 1943. Due to a delay in loading the cargo, her passengers opted to meet her at Penang, thus saving them from death.
Unknown to Commander Irie or the crew, her movements were being tracked by Ultra
Ultra
Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. "Ultra" eventually became the standard...
intelligence, and a British submarine was sent to sink her.
Sinking
She was spotted running on the surface in a rain squall by HMS Taurus (commanded by veteran Captain Mervyn R. G. "Dillinger" Wingfield, DSO, DSC), on 13 November 1943 in the Malacca Straits, 30 nautical miles (56 km) off the coast of Penang at 07:30.Taurus fired a salvo of six torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es of which one struck I-34 below the conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
, she sank in 100 feet (30 m) of water at 05°17′N 100°05′E. Of her 94 crew, only 14 survived to be picked up by a local junk.
I-34 was removed from the Imperial Japanese Navy list in January 1944. Her wreck was salvaged in 1962.
Further reading
- Miller, Vernon J. Analysis of Japanese Submarine Losses to Allied Submarines in World War II, Merriam Press, 36pgs, ISBN 1-57638-161-7
- Gibson, Lt John F., RNVR. Dark Seas Above, Gloucester:Tempus Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0-7524-2018-6 (Author was the Navigation Officer of the HMS Taurus)