eNONGQAI April 2012

The 46 ton midget was 45 feet long, had a battery-driven electric engine, a crew of two and carried two torpedoes.

The Japanese submarines also carried one Yokosuka E14Y “Glen” flying boat on board with a speed of 90 knots and an endurance of three hours. It carried a wireless but no armaments.

The “Glen” flying boat was launched by an 85 feet long pneumatic catapult. A deck crane later retrieved the flying boat from the sea.

On 8 April 1942 Vice Admiral Komatsu ordered five submarines, to leave their base in Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and to embark on their long voyage to East Africa.

The five Pearl Harbour veteran submarines were accompanied by their auxiliary supply ships “Aikoku Maru” and “Hokoku Maru.”

Before daybreak on 20 May 1942 Captain Ishizaki Nobora (later Rear Admiral) in his Flagship, submarine I-10, was sailing south of Richards Bay. He catapulted his flying boat into the air to reconnoitre the Durban harbour area looking for Allied ships to attack.

At 05h15 the unidentified flying boat was reported over Durban. When challenged, the flying boat gave the wrong letter of the day and the plane disappeared out of the Durban area at 05h54. The flying boat was hoisted back and placed into its water tight hanger on board the submarine.

During the night of 29 May 1942 submarine no. I-10 launched her flying boat, piloted

by Araki Toshio and Ito Yoshiharu, to reconnoitre the British naval base in Diego Suarez harbour in northern Madagascar.

During the night of 30 May 1842 Captain Ishizaki ordered a midget submarine attack on Diego Suarez Harbour. Midget M-16b from I-16 piloted by Iwase Katsuske and Takada Kozo, launched about 10 miles from Diego Suarez. I-20 launched Akieda Saburo and Takemoto Masami in midget M-20b. Akieda fired his torpedo at the “Ramillies” whilst under depth charge attack by the British corvettes, heavily damaged the “Ramillies”. The same midget then torpedoed and sank the 6 993 ton “British Royalty” in shallow water.

Akieda and Takemoto depart but the midget’s battery is depleted. They try to scuttle the craft but the charge fails to explode. They reached the shore and natives arranged 101