Japanese submarine I-37
I-37 was a Japanese Type B1 submarine in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was completed at the Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure, Japan, on 10 March 1943. She was sunk off of Palau by USS Conklin on 19 November 1944.[1][2]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Imperial Japan | |
| Name | I-49 |
| Ordered | 1939 |
| Builder | Kure Naval Arsenal |
| Laid down | 7 December 1940 |
| Launched | 22 October 1941 |
| Commissioned | 10 March 1943 |
| Renamed | I-37 |
| Fate | Sunk by USS Conklin, 19 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type B1 Submarine |
| Type | Cruiser Submarine |
| Length | 108.7 meters (356 feet 8 inches) |
| Beam | 9.3 meters (30 feet 6 inches) |
| Draft | 5.1 meters (16 feet 9 inches) |
| Installed power | 12,400 bhp (9,200 kW) (diesel) 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) (electric motor) |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric
1 × diesel engine 1 × electric motor |
| Speed | 23.5 knots surfaced 8 knots submerged |
| Range | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km); 16,000 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h (19 mph) surfaced 96 nmi (178 km); 110 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h (3.5 mph) submerged |
| Test depth | 100 meters (330 feet) |
| Crew | 94 |
| Armament | 6 × bow 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
1 × 14 cm (5.5 in) deck gun 2 × single 25 mm (0.98 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft guns |
Design
I-37 was built in accordance with the specifications of the B1 class submarines. I-37 was 108.7 meters (356 feet 8 inches) long, had a beam of 9.3 meters (30 feet 6 inches) and a draft of 5.1 meters (16 feet 9 inches). She could dive to 100 meters (330 feet)[2]
She was armed with six internal bow 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes and carried a total of 17 torpedoes. I-37 was also armed with a single 140 mm (5.5 in)/40 deck gun and two mounts for Type 96 anti-aircraft guns.[2]
Service history
The submarine that would become I-37 was laid down at Kure Navy Yard as Submarine No. 150 on 7 December 1940. She was launched on 22 October 1941 as I-49. On 10 March 1943 she was commissioned in Kure and renumbered I-37.
Originally attached to the Kure Naval District, she was transferred to Penang in June 1943 for patrols in the Indian Ocean. There she began raiding allied shipping. She sank the British armed tanker San Ernesto on 16 June, the liberty ship Henry Knox on 19 June, the Greek merchant Faneromeni on 23 October, and the Norwegian tanker Scotia on 27 November.
I-37 was at some point attached to the Japanese Eighth Fleet.
On 19 November 1944 I-37 was pursued and destroyed in a hedgehog attack by the destroyer USS Conklin. She was presumed lost on 6 December 1944 and was stricken from the navy list on 10 March 1945.[1]
References
- "Imperial Submarines". www.combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- Boyd, Carl & Yoshida, Akikiko (2002). The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-015-0.
Bibliography
- Milanovich, Kathrin (2021). "The IJN Submarines of the I 15 Class". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2021. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 29–43. ISBN 978-1-4728-4779-9.