SENSUIKAN!
(RO-46)
IJN Submarine RO-55:
Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2001-2017 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
Revision 3
5 August 1943:
Tamano. Laid down at Mitsui Zosensho as a 960-ton type K6 submarine.
23 April 1944:
Launched and numbered RO-55.
15 August 1944:
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Suwa Koichiro (64)(former CO
of I-166) is appointed the Chief Equipping Officer (CEO).
30 September 1944:
Completed, commissioned and attached to Maizuru
Naval District. Assigned to SubRon 11 for working-up. Lt (promoted LtCdr 15
October) Suwa Koichiro is the Commanding Officer.
4 January 1945:
Reassigned to SubDiv 34, Sixth Fleet.
9 January 1945 - American Operation "Mike One" - The Invasion of Luzon:
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Thomas C. Kinkaid's (USNA '08) Task Force 77
lands almost 175,000 men of General Walter Krueger's Sixth Army at Lingayen
Gulf, Philippines under cover of heavy gunfire from Vice Admiral (later Admiral)
Jesse B. Oldendorf's (USNA '09) TG 77.2 bombardment force and aircraft of Rear
Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Calvin T. Durgin's (USNA '16) TG 77.4. The Sixth
Army begins the campaign to retake Luzon from General Yamashita Tomoyuki's 14th
Area Army.
27 January 1945:
Departs Kure on her first war patrol for an area W of
Mindoro.
2 February 1945:
E of Luzon. LtCdr Suwa reports RO-55 was attacked by
enemy aircraft. Suwa adds that his arrival at his patrol area will be delayed
five days. It is the last signal received from RO-55.
7 February 1945:
Off Iba, Luzon, Philippines. RO-55 attempts to
attack a convoy of ships headed for Leyte Gulf. One of the convoy's escorts,
LtCdr C. B. Henriques' USS THOMASON (DE 203), picks up a surfaced submarine on
her SL radar. At 2330, Henriques attacks with barrages of 24 ahead-thrown Mark
10 "Hedgehog" projector charges and sinks the submarine - probably RO-55 - at
15-27N, 119-25E.
1 March 1945:
Presumed lost with all 80 hands off the Philippines.
10 May 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.
– Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
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