IJN Submarine RO-106:
Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2001-2012 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
Revision 3
17 December 1941:
Laid down at Kure Navy Yard as a
525-ton (standard) Kaisho (KS) Type submarine No. 216.
8 April 1942:
Renumbered RO-106 and
provisionally attached to Sasebo Naval District.
30 May 1942:
Launched.
10 October 1942:
LtCdr (Cdr, posthumously) Kobayashi Shigeo
(56)(current CO of I-171) is appointed the Chief Equipping Officer (CEO) of
RO-106 and RO-107 as additional duty.
10 November 1942:
LtCdr (Cdr, posthumously) Saeki Takuo
(59)(former CO of I-157) is appointed the CEO.
26 December 1942:
Completed, registered in the IJN and attached to
Sasebo Naval District. Assigned to Kure SubRon. Lt Saeki Takuo is the
Commanding Officer.
15 February 1943:
While navigating the Hayase Seto channel off Kure,
RO-106's rudder is jammed and she runs aground. She is towed to Kure for hull
repairs.
15 March 1943:
Reassigned to Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral)
Harada Kaku's (former CO of CVS CHIYODA) SubRon 7 in Vice Admiral, the Baron,
Samejima Tomoshige's (former CO of NAGATO) Eighth Fleet/Southeast Area Fleet
based at Rabaul.
31 March 1943:
Departs Sasebo for Rabaul.
12 April 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
22 April 1943:
Departs Rabaul on her first war patrol SE of
Guadalcanal.
14 May 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
27 May 1943:
Departs Rabaul on her second war patrol, but has to
abort the mission because of diesel engine troubles.
29 May 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
31 May 1943:
Departs Rabaul on her third war patrol SE of Guadalcanal.
12 June 1943:
Lt (promoted LtCdr 1 May 1944; Cdr, posthumously)
Nakamura Motoo (62)(former CO of RO-31) is appointed the CO.
16 June 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
30 June 1943: American Operation Operation "TOENAILS" - The Invasion of
New Georgia:
Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Richmond K. Turner's Third Fleet
Amphibious Force, supported by land-based aircraft, lands Marines and Army
troops on Rendova and other islands in the New Georgia area, Solomons.
That day, RO-106 departs Rabaul on her fourth war patrol to patrol off
Rendova.
18 July 1943:
Blanche Channel, off New Georgia, Solomons. RO-106
torpedoes and sinks 1,625-ton LST-342 (Landing Ship Tank) at 09-03S, 158-11E.
[1]
21 July 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
31 July 1943:
Departs Rabaul on her fifth war patrol.
20 August 1943:
Returns to Rabaul. Reassigned to the new SubDiv 51
with RO-100, RO-101, RO-103, RO-104 and RO-105 (F).
1 September 1943:
Departs Rabaul on her sixth war patrol in San
Cristobal area.
22 September 1943:
Redirected to rescue IJNAF pilots downed in air
battles two days earlier.
24 September 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
6 October 1943:
Departs Rabaul for a supply run to Sarmi, New Guinea.
7 October 1943:
Arrives at Sarmi, unloads her cargo, then departs.
9 October 1943:
Redirected to the area E of Lae.
19 October 1943:
RO-106 is detected by aircraft and chased by several
vessels that drop depth-charges. She receives serious damage and has to abort
her patrol. [2]
23 October 1943:
Returns to Rabaul.
27 October 1943:
Departs Rabaul for Sasebo for battle damage repairs.
8 November 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo.
16 December 1943:
Departs Sasebo.
29 December 1943:
Arrives at Rabaul.
31 January - 8 February 1944: American Operation "FLINTLOCK" - The
Invasion of the Marshall Islands:
Task Force 58 lands the 4th Marine
Division and the Army's 7th Infantry Division that capture the Kwajalein,
Roi-Namur and Majuro atolls.
1 February 1944:
Departs Rabaul for her second supply run to Sarmi.
3 February 1944:
Arrives at Sarmi, unloads her cargo, then departs.
5 February 1944:
Returns to Rabaul.
10 February 1944:
Departs Rabaul for her third supply run to Sarmi.
12 February 1944:
Arrives at Sarmi, unloads her cargo, then departs.
14 February 1944:
Returns to Rabaul.
18-21 February 1944: American Operation "CATCHPOLE" - The Invasion of
Eniwetok:
The V Amphibious Corps Reserve (22nd Marine Regiment and the
Army's 106th Infantry Regiment) capture Engebi Island, Eniwetok and Parry
atolls.
19 February 1944:
At 1712 that day, FRUMEL intercepts and decrypts the
following message from an unidentified originator: "Amend areas as follows:
I-42 on 120 mile radius in sector 050 to 090 degrees from Natsushima. RO-106 on
90 mile radius in same sector."
Reassigned to the 1st Advance Submarine Unit. Departs Rabaul on her
eighth war patrol to intercept an enemy task force in the Truk area.
1 March 1944:
Redirected to Brown Island, Eniwetok.
4 March 1944:
Makes a periscope reconnaissance of Brown Island.
Fails to spot any targets.
5 March 1944:
During the next periscope reconnaissance, RO-106
spots several cruisers, destroyers and a repair ship. Three days later,
Mitsubishi G4M "Betty"
bombers of the 705th Naval Air Group (NAG) from Truk attempt to bomb the targets
located by the submarine.
8 March 1944:
Arrives at Truk.
17 March 1944:
Departs Truk on her ninth war patrol to an N of the
Mortlock (Nomoi) Islands that lie SE of Truk.
20 March 1944:
Redirected to an area SE of the Mortlock Islands.
24 March 1944:
Returns to Truk.
29 March 1944:
Departs Truk on her tenth war patrol to the area E
of Brown Island.
20 April 1944:
Returns to Truk.
30 April 1944:
Departs Truk to intercept an enemy task force reported
in the vicinity.
3 May 1944:
Returns to Truk.
15 May 1944:
Lt (LtCdr, posthumously) Uda Keitai (66)(former torpedo
officer of I-16) is appointed the CO.
16 May 1944:
Departs Truk on her eleventh war patrol to form a picket
line N of the Admiralty Islands to warn of American invasion forces approaching
the Palaus. MIA thereafter.
18 May 1944:
The US Navy intercepts radio traffic that indicates
the Japanese have established a new submarine picket "NA" line between Truk and
the Admiralty Islands to intercept American carriers. LtCdr Walton B.
Pendelton's USS ENGLAND (DE-635) departs Purvis Bay, off Florida Island,
Solomons with LtCdr James Scott's USS RABY (DE-698) and LtCdr Fred W. Just's
GEORGE (DE-697) as a hunter-killer group to attack the NA line.
22 May 1944:
N of the Admiralty Islands. At 0351, GEORGE reports a
contact, bearing 303°, at 14,000 yards on her SG radar. Shortly thereafter, a
blip appears on ENGLAND's screen that looks like a surfaced submarine. GEORGE
and RABY are ordered to close and ENGLAND to open out to the NE, to box in the
target.
At 4,000 yards, LtCdr Just orders GEORGE's searchlights snapped on. The
contact - a surfaced submarine - is illuminated. Lt Uda, whose E27 radar
detector failed to detect GEORGE, crash-dives. At 0415, GEORGE makes sonar
contact and attacks with a salvo of thrown-ahead Mark 10 "Hedgehog" bombs, but
misses the radically maneuvering submarine.
At 0425, ENGLAND makes another sonar contact, bearing 193° at 2,500
yards. At 0444, LtCdr Pendelton attacks with hedgehogs, but also misses. ENGLAND
opens the range, turns, and heads back in. The submarine reverses course to
meet ENGLAND, bow on. At 0501, Pendelton unleashes another salvo of hedgehogs.
His crew hears at least three underwater explosions at 275 feet. This time,
ENGLAND kills RO-106 with all hands in 2,700 fathoms of water at 01-40N,
150-31E.
15 June 1944:
Presumed lost N of the Admiralty Islands with all 49
hands.
10 August 1944:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Note:
[1] LST-342 was torpedoed by RO-106 off New Georgia and blown
in two. The stern sank immediately, but the bow remained afloat and was towed
to Purvis Bay in the islet of Ghavutu of the Ngella (Florida) Islands near
Guadalcanal and beached. Later, it was salvaged of any useable equipment. For
more info, please see LST-342.
[2] RO-106 may have been the same submarine that USS MAHAN (DD-364)
depth-charged off Lae that day.
Special thanks also go to Hans Mcilveen of the Netherlands for research
based on wartime FRUMEL intercepts.
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan. Thanks also go to Rod
Dickson for posting info on LST-342 on j-aircraft.com. and to Matthew Jones of
the USA.
– Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
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