SENSUIKAN!

© 2006-2015 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp

29 June 1944:
Kobe. Laid down at Mitsubishi's Shipyard as a Sensuikan Yu Sho (Small Supply Submarine) No. 4603, (SS) Type.

14 October 1944:
Lt Murayama Yoshifumi (69)(former gunnery officer of URAKAZE) is appointed the Chief Equipping Officer.

21 October 1944:
Launched and numbered HA-103

3 February 1945:
Completed and commissioned in the IJN. Lt Murayama is the CO. Assigned to SubRon 11 for working up.

15 April 1945:
Reassigned to Rear Admiral Imaizumi Yoshijiro's (former CO of SANTOS MARU) SubDiv 16.

16 April 1945:
Departs Kure on a supply run to Minami-Daito-Jima.

Late April 1945:
Arrives at Minami-Daito-Jima, unloads her cargo, embarks a number of stranded IJNAF pilots, then departs.

22 April 1945:
Returns to Kure.

29 April 1945:
Reassigned to Submarine Unit No. 1. Departs Kure for radar picket duty 300 miles S of Honshu.

20 May 1945:
Returns to Kure.

1 July 1945:
Reassigned to Cdr Tagami Meiji's (former CO of I-45) SubDiv 34.

15 August 1945:
Reassigned to Cdr Ageta Kiyoi's (former CO of I-22) SubDiv 15.

2 September 1945:
Tokyo Bay. Formal surrender ceremonies are held aboard USS MISSOURI (BB-63) presided over by the Supreme Allied Commander Pacific, General of the Army/MOH, Douglas MacArthur.

Kure. HA-103 is surrendered to the Allies.

September 1945:
The U.S. Fifth Marine Division occupies Sasebo.

2 November 1945:
HA-103 is assigned to Japanese Submarine Division Two under Cdr (later Captain) John P. Currie with HA-105, HA-106, HA-107, HA-108, HA-109 and HA-111.

November 1945:
Kure. HA-103 and all Japanese submarines at Kure are ordered to proceed through mine-infested waters to Sasebo.

30 November 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.

1 April 1946: Operation "Road's End"
Off Goto Retto. Scuttled by the USN at 32-30N, 128-40E.

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Authors' Notes:
Special thanks for help in preparing this TROM go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.

– Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.

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