Japanese Submarine I-182

''I-182'' (originally ''I-82'') was am Imperial Japanese Navy ''Kaidai''-type cruiser submarine of the KD7 sub-class commissioned in 1943. During World War II, she was lost in 1943 while on her first war patrol.

Design and description

The submarines of the KD7 sub-class were medium-range attack submarines developed from the preceding KD6 sub-class. They displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long and had a beam of and a draft of . They had a diving depth of and a complement of 86 officers and crewmen.Carpenter & Polmar, p. 105

For surface running, the submarines were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged, each propeller was driven by a electric motor. The submarines could reach on the surface and submerged. On the surface, the KD7s had a range of at ; submerged, they had a range of at .Chesneau, p. 199

The submarines were armed with six internal torpedo tubes, all in the bow. They carried one reload for each tube, a total of 12 torpedoes. They were originally intended to be armed with two twin-gun mounts for the Type 96 anti-aircraft gun, but a deck gun was substituted for one 25 mm mount during construction.Bagnasco, pp. 183, 186

Construction and commissioning

''I-182'' was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Yokosuka, Japan, on 10 November 1941 as ''I-82''.I-182 ijnsubsite.com 16 June 2018 Accessed 18 June 2022
/ref> Renamed ''I-182'' on 20 May 1942, she was launched on 30 May 1942. She was completed and commissioned on 10 May 1943.

Service history

First war patrol

''I-182'' departed Sasebo, Japan, on 8 August 1943 bound for Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands, which she reached on 15 August 1943. She got underway from Truk on 22 August 1943 to begin her first war patrol, assigned a patrol area in the vicinity of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides. She did not return from her patrol.

Loss

The exact circumstances of ''I-182''′s loss remain unknown. ''I-182'' and the submarine both were patrolling in the vicinity of the New Hebrides at the time, and neither returned. United States Navy forces reported two successful antisubmarine attacks off Espiritu Santo in early September 1943.

The first action took place on 1 September 1943, when the destroyer , operating as part of a hunter-killer group, began a search for a reported Japanese submarine off Espiritu Santo at 10:55. After searching on a north-south axis, she picked up a strong sonar contact at 13:00, and dropped a pattern of ten depth charges set to explode at an average depth of . The attack produced no signs of success, so ''Wadsworth'' commenced a second attack, with her depth charges set for an average of . The submarine turned to port just before ''Wadsworth'' launched the depth charges, then headed south before turning northeast, creating an underwater wake that degraded ''Wadsworth''′s sonar detection capability. ''Wadsworth'' made several attack runs without dropping depth charges before firing a deep pattern set to explode at an average depth of . This resulted in a very large air bubble rising to the surface, but no other sign of a submarine in distress. ''Wadsworth'' continued to pursue the submarine, which maneuvered to create more underwater turbulence in an attempt to defeat ''Wadsworth''′s sonar. ''Wadsworth'' dropped a final pattern of ten depth charges set to explode at an average depth of , then turned east and opened the range. A PBY Catalina flying boat reported debris and a oil slick that smelled like diesel fuel on the surface just south of the location of ''Wadsworth''′s final attack. Wooden debris also was sighted on the surface at .

The second action occurred on 3 September 1943, when the destroyer conducted a sweep for a reported Japanese submarine off Espiritu Santo. ''Ellet'' picked up a radar contact at a range of at 19:35, closed to a range of about , and challenged the unseen contact with a visual signal. After ''Ellet'' received no reply, she illuminated the area with star shells. The target disappeared from radar at a range of , but ''Ellet'' then picked up a sonar contact at a range of . Between 20:12 and 20:38 ''Ellet'' conducted a series of depth charge attacks. She lost sonar contact at 20:59, and at dawn on 4 September 1943 a large oil slick and debris were sighted on the surface at .

The submarines ''Wadsworth'' and ''Ellet'' sank remain unidentified. It seems likely that one of them was ''I-182'' and the other ''I-20''.

On 15 September 1943, the Japanese sent ''I-182'' orders to return to Truk, but she did not acknowledge the signal. On 22 October 1943, the Imperial Japanese Navy declared ''I-182'' lost with her entire crew of 87 men off Espiritu Santo. The Japanese struck her from the Navy list on .

Notes

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:I-182
1942 ships
Ships built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
Kaidai-class submarines
World War II submarines of Japan
Maritime incidents in September 1943
World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
Warships lost in combat with all hands
Submarines lost with all hands
Submarines sunk by United States warships