The submarines of the Type L4 sub-class were copies of the Group 3 subclass of the British L-class submarine built under license in Japan.[1] They were slightly larger and had two more torpedo tubes than the preceding submarines of the L3 subclass.[1] They displaced 1,004 tonnes (988 long tons) surfaced and 1,322 tonnes (1,301 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 78.39 meters (257 ft 2 in) long and had a beam of 7.41 meters (24 ft 4 in) and a draft of 3.96 meters (13 ft 0 in). They had a diving depth of 60 meters (197 ft).
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 1,200-brake-horsepower (895 kW) Vickersdiesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged, each propeller was driven by an 800-shaft-horsepower (597 kW) electric motor. They could reach 15.7 knots (29.1 km/h; 18.1 mph) on the surface and 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph) underwater. On the surface, they had a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).
Upon commissioning, Ro-67 was attached to the Sasebo Naval District and assigned to Submarine Division 27, in which she served until 1942.[2][3] Submarine Division 27 was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet in the Combined Fleet on 15 January 1927,[2] then returned to the Sasebo Defense Division in the Sasebo Naval District on 30 November 1929.[2] On 24 December 1929, the division was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet in the Combined Fleet.[2] It again returned to the Sasebo Defense Division in the Sasebo Naval District on 1 December 1930.[2] The division was reassigned to the Sasebo Guard Squadron on 1 October 1932,[2] then back to the Sasebo Defense Division on 15 November 1933.[2] It began another assignment to the Sasebo Guard Squadron on 15 November 1933.[2]Ro-67 was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 21 February 1934.[2]
Ro-65 was recommissioned on 16 July 1934,[2] resuming active service in Submarine Division 27, which by then again was serving in the Sasebo Guard Squadron in the Sasebo Naval District.[2] The division was transferred to the Sasebo Defense Squadron on 15 November 1935.[2] On 1 December 1936, Ro-67 again was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Sasebo.[2][3] She was in Second Reserve from 15 December 1938.[2]
Sources present a confusing picture of Ro-67′s status during 1939–1940. She may have been recommissioned on 1 September 1939[2][3] or on 15 November 1939,[2] or she may have remained out of commission throughout 1939 and moved from First Reserve to Second Reserve on 15 November 1939.[2] She may have been in commission from
26 July to 30 October 1940[2] or remained in Second Reserve continuously from 15 November 1939 to 15 November 1940.[2] Whatever the case, she was back in active service in time for Submarine Division 27′s reassignment to Submarine Squadron 7 in the 4th Fleet in the Combined Fleet on 15 November 1940.[2]
On 6 December 1941, Ro-66 and Ro-67 got underway from Kwajalein to conduct a reconnaissance of Wake Island,[4] which the Japanese planned to invade on 8 December 1941, the first day of the war on Wake Island′s side of the International Date Line, while Ro-65 reconnoitered Roi in the Marshall Islands before joining Ro-66 and Ro-67 off Wake in time for the invasion.[5] The Battle of Wake Island began on 8 December 1941, with Ro-65, Ro-66, and Ro-67 patrolling in the area supporting Japanese forces attempting to seize the atoll.[4]United States Marine Corps forces defending Wake drove back the initial Japanese assault that day.[4]Ro-67 conducted her first war patrol, operating off Wake until 13 December 1941.[3] She then returned to Kwajalein, which she reached in company with Ro-65 on 17 December 1941.[3] Ultimately, the Battle of Wake Island concluded on 23 December 1941 with the Japanese conquest of the atoll.[3]
Ro-67 departed Kwajalein on 24 December 1941 to begin her second war patrol.[3] Engine trouble forced her to turn back, however, and she returned to Kwajalein on 25 December 1941.[3]
On 16 January 1942, Ro-67 got underway in company with Ro-65 to support the Japanese invasion of Rabaul on New Britain in the Admiralty Islands, ordered to patrol south of Cape St. George on New Ireland.[3] On 21 January 1942, the two submarines received orders to join the submarines of Submarine Division 33 — Ro-63, Ro-64, and Ro-68 — in patrolling in St. George's Channel while Japanese forces landed at Rabaul, but they found no targets.[3][5]Ro-65 and Ro-67 arrived at Truk on 29 January 1942.[3][5]
On 10 February 1942, Submarine Division 27 was disbanded and Ro-65 and Ro-67 were reassigned to Submarine Division 26.[2][5] The two submarines departed Truk on 18 February 1942 with orders to reconnoiter the Butaritari area in the Gilbert Islands, proceeding to Butaritari after calling at Ponape in the Caroline Islands from 28 February to 3 March 1942.[3][5] After completing the reconnaissance, the two submarines headed for Japan, calling at Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands from 17 to 18 March 1942 and at Saipan in the Marshall Islands from 24 to 27 March before proceeding to Sasebo, which they reached on 2 April 1942.[3][5]
Aleutian Islands campaign
On 14 July 1942, Submarine Division 26 was reassigned to the 5th Fleet[3] for service in the Aleutian Islands, where the Aleutian Islands campaign had begun in June 1942 with the Japanese occupation of Attu and Kiska. On 10 September 1942, Ro-65 and Ro-67 departed Sasebo, then called at Ōminato, Japan, from 13 to 15 September and at Paramushiro in the northern Kurile Islands from 19 to 21 September before proceeding to their new operating base at Kiska, which they reached on 26 September 1942.[3] Almost as soon as they arrived, American aircraft attacked the harbor.[3] The planes strafed Ro-67 repeatedly and scored near-misses with several bombs, knocking out both of her periscopes and both of her electric motors.[3] The damage forced her to head back to Ōminato for repairs.[5] She arrived at Ōminato on 4 October 1942.[3]
Training duties
Ro-67 departed Ōminato on 9 October 1942[3] and arrived at Yokosuka, Japan, on 12 October 1942.[3] On 15 November 1942, Submarine Division 26 was reassigned to the Kure Submarine Squadron, and thereafter Ro-67 served as a training submarine.[3] She was reassigned to Submarine Division 33 in the Kure Submarine Squadron on 1 December 1943.[2]
The damage Ro-67 suffered on 19 March 1945 prompted the Japanese to decommission her on 20 July 1945 and strike her from the Navy list the same day.[2][3] She subsequently served as a floating jetty at Sasebo[2][3] and surrendered to the Allies after hostilities between Japan and the Allies ended on 15 August 1945.[2] She was scrapped in 1946.[2][3]
References
^ abChesneau, Roger, ed., Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1922–1946, New York: Mayflower Books, 1980, ISBN0-8317-0303-2, p. 203.
"Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The submarines of the Imperial Japanese Forces", Gakken (Japan), March 2005, ISBN4-05-603890-2
The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.43 Japanese Submarines III, Ushio Shobō (Japan), September 1980, Book code 68343-44
The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.132 Japanese Submarines I "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), February 1988, Book code 68344-36
The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.133 Japanese Submarines II "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), March 1988, Book code 68344-37
