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| IJN Type C1 submarine 2.595 Tons (surfaced) 3,610 Tons (submerged) 358' 7" x 29' 10" x 17' 5" 8 x 21" torpedo tubes 140cm deck gun 2 x 25mm AA guns |
Wartime History Built Kawasaki Shipbuilding in Kobe. Laid down November 25, 1937 as submarine No. 47 as Type C1 submarine. Launched December 23, 1938 as I-22. Completed and commissioned March 10, 1941 in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). On June 1, 1938 renamed I-22, the second submarine of that number, the first I-22 being renumber I-122. Launched December 23, 1938 as I-22. Completed and commissioned March 10, 1941 in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The I-22 was equipped with a single Type A Midget submarine and served as the flagship of the Special Attack Unit, accompanied by submarines I-16, I-18, I-20 and I-24 and arrived off Oahu. On December 7, 1941 at 1:16am I-22 launched HA-22 Type A midget submarine (Midget B) under the command of Lt Naoji Iwasa with PO1C Naokichi Sasaki roughly nine miles south of Oahu off the outside Pearl Harbor. One of five midget submarines that planned to penetrate Pearl Harbor submerged then navigate counterclockwise around Ford Island, fire their torpedoes then exit to rendezvous with the "mother" submarines seven miles west of Lanai Island. On December 15, 1941 I-22 surfaces off Johnson Island and opens fire with her deck gun. In the path of the gunfire is USS William Ward Burrows (AP-6) apparently unseen by the submarine with one shell landing astern and another passes over her forecastle the ship is not hit and escapes without damage. On May 3, 1942 guards the invasion force during the landing at Tulagi. On May 30, 1942 submarines I-22, I-24 I-27 arrive off Sydney Harbor. On May 31, 1942 between 5:21pm to 5:40pm the three submarines surface and release their midget submarine. I-22 launches Type A Midget Submarine (M22). This midget was spotted, attacked and destroyed before it could fire its torpedoes. This midget sub was salvage a week later and today is displayed at Australian War Memorial (AWM). Sinking History The precise details of the loss of this submarine is unknown. On November 12 1942 the Japanese Navy presumed this submarine lost with all hands. On December 15, 1942 officially removed from the Navy list. During the night of December 23-24, 1942 a submarine was claimed as sunk PT-122 off the northern coast of New Guinea near mouth of the Kumusi River near Gona at approximate position Lat 8° 32' S, Long 148° 17' E. Some have presumed this was I-22. PT-122 December 23-24, 1942 report: "2310 sighted a large enemy sub surfaced also sighted dark object to the left and beyond believed to be another sub. 2321 fired after torpedoes at approx 1000 yards range, course 216 T. Starboard torpedo hit after part of sub causing large geyser of water and small flash, sub did not sink. 2325 fired forward torpedoes at approx 500 yards range. Starboard torpedo hit amidships and exploded. This was followed almost immediately by a second violent explosion. Sub broke in half and sank. At 2334 maneuvered to avoid four torpedoes fired from second sub." Shipwreck This submarine has never been found. During the 1980s, salvage diver Fritz Herscheid searched for this submarine in Holnicote Bay. References Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses pages 4 (I 22), 106 (index I 22) Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Japanese Submarine Casualties in World War Two (I and RO Boats) page 175 "Immediately after the war, PT-122 was given official credit for sinking in this attack I-22, a submarine of 2,180 standard tons. More recent investigations, however, have thrown doubt on this assessment. The object of the 122's attack and the degree of damage inflicted must still be considered uncertain." Combined Fleet - IJN Submarine I-22: Tabular Record of Movement The Last New Guinea Salvage Pirate (2006) pages 400 - 402 "Month after month, I would make a detour into the fringes of Holnicote Bay to check the clarity of the water. If it was dirty, as it usually was, I would just continue on my way. Then one day, the weather conditions were perfect. The water was crystal clear. From the masthead, I could see what was a hunk of iron or a semi-circular two-tiered railing that looked exactly like the conning tower of a German submarine. Bearing in mind that the report clearly states the sub broke in half, it was possible we were looking at nothing more than the mangled remains that resembled the conning tower of a German submarine." PT-122 December 23-24, 1942 report Japanese Submarines at Pearl Harbor notes I-22 sunk on October 5, 1942 by a PBY Catalina near Indispensable Strait At Close Quarters PT Boats in the United States Navy (1962) pages 173-174 Contribute
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