IJN Submarine RO-64:
Tabular Record of
Movement
© 2001-2017 Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp:
Revision 3
15 October 1923:
Kobe. Laid down Mitsubishi Shipbuilding as a
990-ton L4 submarine.
19 August 1924:
Launched and designated RO-64.
15 January 1925:
LtCdr (later Vice Admiral), Marquis Daigo Tadashige
(40)(former division officer of ASAMA) is appointed the Chief Equipping Officer
(CEO).
30 April 1925:
Completed and commissioned in the IJN. LtCdr Daigo
Tadashige is the Commanding Officer.
1 December 1925:
Lt (later Rear Admiral) Kouda Takero (41)(former CO
of RO-23) is appointed the CO.
1 December 1927:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Matsuzaki Akira
(43)(former navigating officer of RO-60) is appointed the CO.
10 December 1928:
Placed in reserve. Lt (later Captain) Mizohata
Sadaichi (46)(current CO of RO-68) is appointed the CO of RO-64 as additional
duty.
10 March-29 June 1929:
Lt Mizohata is appointed the CO of RO-63 as
additional duty.
1 November 1929:
Lt (promoted LtCdr 30 November; Rear Admiral,
posthumously) Tamaki Tomejiro (45)(former CO of RO-28) is appointed the CO.
1 December 1930:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Sasaki Hankyu (45)(former
CO of RO-62) is appointed the CO.
1 December 1931:
Lt (later Cdr) Nagai Chodayu (48)(former torpedo
officer of I-4) is appointed the CO. [1]
1 December 1932:
LtCdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Shimizu Taro
(48)(current CO of RO-63) is appointed the CO of RO-64 as additional duty.
25 March 1933:
Lt (promoted LtCdr 15 November 1933; later Captain)
Hatanaka Sumihiko (49)(former torpedo officer of I-3) is appointed the CO.
28 February 1935:
Lt (promoted LtCdr 15 November; later Captain)
Nakagawa Hajime (50)(former CO of RO-30) is appointed the CO.
15 February 1936:
LtCdr (Captain, posthumously) Izu Juichi (51)(former
CO of RO-62) is appointed the CO.
20 March 1937:
LtCdr (Captain, posthumously) Hanabusa Hakushi
(51)(former torpedo officer of I-2) is appointed the CO.
15 November 1937:
LtCdr (later Captain) Ikezawa Masayuki (52)(former
torpedo officer of I-54) is appointed the CO.
19 March-1 September 1938:
LtCdr (later Captain) Yoshitome Zennosuke
(52)(former torpedo officer of I-73) is appointed the CO.
1 April 1939:
LtCdr (Captain, posthumously) Ogawa Tsunayoshi (50)
(former CO of RO-67) is appointed the CO.
11 September 1939:
LtCdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Togami Ichiro
(51)(current CO of I-65) is appointed the CO of RO-64 as additional duty.
1 November 1939:
Lt (promoted LtCdr 15 November) Ota Takeshi
(55)(former CO of KURI) is appointed the CO.
20 March 1940:
Placed in reserve.
26 July 1940:
LtCdr (Captain, posthumously) Uno Kameo (53)(former CO
of RO-65) is appointed the CO.
2 December 1941: Operation "Z":
The coded signal "Niitakayama nobore
(Climb Mt. Niitaka) 1208" is received from the Combined Fleet. It signifies that
hostilities will commence on 8 December (Japan time). [2]
4 December 1941:
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. RO-64 is in Captain
Nagai Takeo's (47)SubDiv 33, in Rear Admiral Onishi Shinzo's (42) SubRon 7 in
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Inoue Shigeyoshi's (37)(former CO of HIEI) Fourth
Fleet with RO-63 and RO-68 (F). LtCdr Uno Kameo is the Commanding Officer.
At 1400 (JST) departs Kwajalein in company of RO-68 to reconnoiter the
Phoenix islands, patrol off Howland Island and detect any U.S. reinforcements
arriving from that direction.
5 December 1941:
Reconnoiters Majuro.
7 December 1941:
Arrives off Phoenix islands.
8 December 1941:
Arrives off Howland and commences periscope
reconnaissance.
10 December 1941:
After the IJNAF air raid LtCdr Uno receives the
order to destroy the remaining military facilities on that island. At 2240
(JST), considering the sea state and that his boat may have been spotted,
LtCdr Uno decides against sending a landing party to Howland to destroy the
shore facilities.
11 December 1941:
At 0200 (JST), RO-64 closes to within 2,200 yds,
then opens fire with her deck gun, targeting the wireless and weather
station, barracks and the local lighthouse. After 0300 RO-64 departs for
Baker Island to join RO-68.
Between 1500 and 1520 (JST), RO-64 shells Baker Island, previously
bombarded by RO-68.
15 December 1941:
Returns to Kwajalein in company of RO-68.
24 December 1941:
Departs Kwajalein for Wake.
27 December 1941:
Arrives off Wake.
28 to 30 December 1941:
Patrols E of Wake, then arrives at Wake.
1 January 1942:
Departs Wake for Truk.
6 January 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
15 January 1942:
Departs Truk with RO-63 and RO-68 to reconnoiter
Rabaul, New Britain. Patrols S of Cape St. George.
29 January 1942:
Returns to Truk.
10 February 1942:
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Tabata Sunao (58)(former CO
of RO-58) is appointed the CO.
18 February 1942:
Departs Truk for the Marshalls area in company of
RO-63 and RO-68.
23 February 1942:
Arrives at Ponape.
24 February 1942:
Departs Ponape with RO-63 and RO-68 for the
Marshalls area.
27 February 1942:
Following an accident with RO-63, heads for Bikini.
28 February 1942:
Arrives at Bikini; departs the next day.
12 March 1942:
Arrives at Kwajalein.
16 March 1942:
Departs Kwajalein for Ponape.
19 March 1942:
Arrives at Ponape.
20 March 1942:
Departs Ponape for Truk.
21 March 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
27 March 1942:
Departs Truk for Saipan.
29 March 1942:
Arrives at Saipan.
30 March 1942:
Departs Saipan for Maizuru.
7 April 1942:
Arrives at Maizuru, later transferred to Yokosuka.
14 July 1942:
Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kato Ryonosuke's (48)
SubDiv 33 is transferred to the Fifth Fleet.
24 July 1942:
Departs Yokosuka for Paramushiro with RO-63 and RO-68,
but has to abort her sortie because of an outbreak of food poisoning.
26 July 1942:
Returns to Yokosuka; departs the next day for
Paramushiro.
1 August 1942:
Arrives at Paramushiro.
2 August 1942:
Departs Paramushiro for Kiska.
6 August 1942:
Arrives at Kiska.
7 August 1942:
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) William W. Smith's
(USNA '09)(former Chief of Staff to Admiral Husband E. Kimmel's (USNA '04), TG
8.6 shells Kiska. RO-61, RO-64, RO-68 and I-6 anchored in the harbor crash-dive
to escape damage.
8-10 August 1942:
RO-64, RO-61, RO-63 and RO-68 sortie to intercept
TG 8.6, but fail to make contact.
11-13 August 1942:
Conducts a search for the crew of a ditched
reconnaissance plane.
17 to 26 August 1942:
Patrols off Aleutians, then returns to Kiska.
29 August 1942:
A Kiska-based E13A1 "Jake" reconnaissance plane
reports a "heavy cruiser" at anchor in Nazan Bay at Atka Island, Aleutians. The
RO-64 departs Kiska for Nazan Bay with RO-61.
4 September 1942:
Returns to Kiska.
5 to 17 September 1942:
Patrols off Aleutians.
15 September 1942:
SubDiv 22 and SubDiv 33 are temporarily attached to
Rear Admiral Akiyama Katsuzo's (40) 51st Base Unit (HQ Kiska).
25 September 1942:
SubDiv 33 is reassigned to the Kure SubRon.
26 September 1942:
Departs Kiska for Maizuru with RO-63 and RO-68.
5 October 1942:
Arrives at Maizuru; departs the next day for Kure.
15 October 1942:
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Wada Mutsuo (61)(former
torpedo officer of I-65) is appointed the CO.
8 November 1942:
Arrives at Kure. Used as training ship thereafter.
25 May 1943:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Kato Ryonosuke
(48)(current ComSubDiv 33) is appointed the CO of RO-64 as additional duty.
1 September 1943:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Narahara Seigo
(48), the new ComSubDiv 33, is appointed the CO of RO-64 as additional duty.
1 January 1944:
Kure Naval District. RO-64 is in SubDiv 33 with RO-62,
RO-63, RO-67 and RO-68. Training duties.
20 January 1944
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Okayama Noboru (64)(former
torpedo officer of I-29) is appointed the CO.
30 April 1944
Lt (Cdr, posthumously) Ono Yasushi (65)(former torpedo
officer of I-10) is appointed the CO.
31 August 1944
Lt (later LtCdr) Sato Kiyoteru (66)(former torpedo
officer of I-53) is appointed the CO.
14 October 1944
Lt Kiuchi Tetsuro (69)(former torpedo officer of
HATSUZUKI) is appointed the CO.
6 November 1944:
Lt Tokunaga Masahiko (67)(former torpedo officer of
I-177) is appointed the CO.
11 November 1944:
Lt Yoshizawa Chiaki (69)(former torpedo officer of
I-47) is appointed the CO.
1 January 1945:
Kure Naval District. RO-64 is in SubDiv 33 with RO-63
and RO-67. Training duties.
15 February 1945:
ComSubDiv 33, Captain Otani Kiyonori (former CO of
I-18), is appointed the CO of RO-64 as additional duty.
15 March 1945:
Captain (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Ankyu Eitaro
(40)(former CO of I-38) is appointed the new ComSubDiv 33 and the CO of RO-64 as
additional duty.
12 April 1945:
Hiroshima Bay. RO-64 is proceeding underwater on a
training mission. At 1428, she hits a mine laid by an American aircraft and
sinks quickly with her crew of 50 plus ComSubDiv 33's Capt Ankyu and 30
students.
10 August 1945:
Removed from the Navy List.
Authors' Notes:
[1] Nagai Chodayu later changed his name to Nagai Komei.
[2] Mt. Niitaka, located in Formosa (now Taiwan), was then the highest
point in the Japanese Empire.
Thanks go to Dr. Higuchi Tatsuhiro of Japan.
– Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.
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