Japanese Submarine ''I-178'' (''I-78'', until 20 May 1942) was a ''Kaidai'' type of

cruiser submarine A cruiser submarine was a very large submarine designed to remain at sea for extended periods in areas distant from base facilities. Their role was analogous to surface cruisers, cruising distant waters, commerce raiding, and scouting for the batt ...

that saw service during World War II in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned on December 26, 1942, ''I-178'' was a KD7 sub-class boat that sailed on just two patrols off the east coast of Australia during 1943, going missing sometime after 17 June 1943.

Design and construction

The KD7 type ''Kaidai''s was long and displaced when surfaced. The diesel-electric propulsion system provided a maximum speed of when surfaced or when submerged. The boats could operate for 75 days before resupply. The Armament consisted of six forward-facing torpedo tubes firing

Long Lance The was a -diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given to it after the war by Samuel Eliot Mori ...

torpedoes (with 14 carried), a 4.7-inch deck gun, and a 25-millimetre anti-aircraft gun. The submarine was built at the Mitsubishi Yard. She was completed in 1942.Crowhurst, ''Who sank I-178?'', p. 27

Operational history

Assigned to Submarine Squadron Three of the Sixth Fleet, ''I-178'' sailed from Japan on 30 March 1943, and reached Truk on 7 April. Three days later, the submarine left to commence a patrol off the eastern coast of Australia, supporting sister boat ''I-177''. At 18:45 on 27 April 1943, the submarine torpedoed the Liberty ship ''Lydia M. Child'' 90 miles off the coast of Newcastle, New South Wales. There were allegedly no casualties among the freighter's 62 crew, who were all rescued the next day. ''I-178'' escaped despite multiple attempted bombing runs by a

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from

No. 11 Squadron RAAF No. 11 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. It was formed in 1939 and has seen active service in World War II, East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the Iraq War, 2003 Gulf War. Th ...

. She returned to Truk on 18 May, but was ordered to sail again two days later, returning to the Australian coast. The patrol was initially uneventful, but after sending a routine radio signal on 17 June, ''I-178'' was never heard from again.

Fate

On 4 August 1943, the submarine was declared lost with all hands. She was struck from the Navy List on 1 September. Claims for sinking the submarine vary, with different sources identifying the responsible party as the U.S. Navy

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

s ''SC-669'' or ''SC-699'' off

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on 29 May 1943 (this claim is discounted, as ''I-178'' was still in radio contact until 17 June), three Bristol Beauforts of

No. 32 Squadron RAAF No. 32 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force unit based at RAAF East Sale in Victoria. It currently flies training and transport operations. The squadron was raised in February 1942 for service during World War II. Equipped with Lockheed Hud ...

off Coffs Harbour, New South Wales on 17 June (Claim is reasonably strong), or the destroyer near the Solomon Islands on 25 August 1943.Crowhurst, ''Who sank I-178?'', pp. 28–29

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:I-178 Type KD7 submarines Kaidai-class submarines World War II submarines of Japan Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Maritime incidents in June 1943 Japanese submarines lost during World War II Missing submarines of World War II Warships lost with all hands Submarines lost with all hands