Japanese submarine I-1 (1924)

The Japanese submarine I-1 was a J1 type submarine built by Kawasaki, Kobe, for the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was a large cruiser submarine displacing 2,135 tons and was the lead of four boats built in the class. She was commissioned on 10 March 1926 and served in the Second World War. On 29 January 1943, during Operation Ke, the New Zealand naval trawlers, Kiwi and Moa, intercepted and wrecked her after a surface battle at Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal.

Her war activity

 * 7 December 1941: during the attack on Pearl Harbor she was stationed in Kauai Channel to reconnoiter and attack any ships that sortied from the harbour.
 * 15 December 1941: bombarded Kahului, Maui.
 * 31 December 1941: shelled the harbor at Hilo, Hawaii.
 * 3 March 1942: Sinks the 8,806-ton Dutch steamer Siantar en route to Australia from Java.
 * 18 April 1942: witnessed the Doolittle raid on Tokyo
 * 11 June 1942: sets out to patrol the Aleutians.
 * 1 August 1942: is adapted to a cargo role. Her aft 140 mm gun is removed to make room for a 46 ft Daihatsu-class landing craft.
 * 26 October 1942: evacuates Japanese troops from Goodenough Island, New Guinea to Rabaul.
 * 10 January 1943: receives her Daihatsu.
 * 20 January 1943: Arrives at Rabaul and loads rice, bean paste, curry, ham and sausages, all in rubber containers, into the Daihatsu. The three-man crew of the barge is also embarked.
 * 24 January 1943: The I-1 departs Rabaul for Buin to pick up supplies for a resupply mission to Guadalcanal.

Her wrecking
On 29 January 1943 she encountered the much smaller 607 ton New Zealand minesweepers, Kiwi and Moa. Unable to penetrate the I1's armour with their deck guns, the New Zealand minesweepers rammed and wrecked her in shallow water at Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal. The wreck partially protrudes from the water. Coincidentally the Kiwi and Moa's only sister ship, HMNZS Tui sank the I-17. Critical codes remained on board and the Japanese command tried unsuccessfully to destroy the boat with air and submarine attacks. The US Navy salvaged 200,000 pages of intelligence: code books, charts, manuals, and the ship's log.

Record of Movement for her sister submarine I-2

 * Extracts
 * 29 January 1943: The I-2's sister, the I-1, runs aground and is sunk off Guadalcanal. The wreck partially protrudes from the water. The Japanese, concerned about the possible compromise of their codes, try to destroy the I-1 by explosives and by bombing. All attempts fail.
 * 11 February 1943: The I-2, with the XO of I-1 aboard, departs the Shortland Islands for Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal to sink the wreck of the I-1.
 * 13 February 1943: In the dark, the I-2 fails to locate the I-1.
 * 15 February 1943: The I-2 makes another try, but again fails to locate the I-1.

Postscript
Circa 1970: An Australian treasure hunter in search of valuable metals blew up the bow section of the I-1. This caused much damage since live torpedoes were still inside. The bow section of the sub is still there, but split open. The front one-third of the submarine is destroyed but the remaining section is still intact. The I-1 lies with her bow in 45 ft and her stern in 90 ft of water.

The submarine's deck gun is on display at the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum in Auckland, New Zealand.