Battle of the Eastern Solomons: Interrogation of Commanders H. Sekino and Masatake Okumiya, IJN

A Japanese Aichi D3A dive bomber, believed to be piloted by Yoshihiro Iida, burns as it is shot down by anti-aircraft fire directly over the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 24 August 1942.

 

Interrogation NAV No. 8

USSBS No. 46

Tokyo, 17 October 1945

Interrogation of: Commander Sekino, H., IJN, twenty years in Navy. Communication Officer, Staff, 6th Cruiser Squadron at Coral Sea, and Commander Okumiya, Masatake, IJN. Staff, Second Flying Squadron. Both officers currently members of General Staff.

Interrogated by: Captain C. Shands, USN.

Summary

Ryujo (carrier) sunk in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 23 August, by U.S. carrier planes, removing air protection for convoy for reinforcement of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal. B-17 sank destroyer.

The Hyei and Haruna exchanged positions at Midway the day before the main battle. Har­una, with carrier force, received no damage until 1945 at Kure by U. S. Navy dive bombers.

Transcript

Battle of the Eastern Solomons

In the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on the 23 August 1942, what was the position of the Ryujo?

It was near Bradley Reefs, latitude 7 degrees south, 161 degrees east. The Zuikaku and Shokaku were there too but separated into different units about ninety or one hundred miles to the north and east.

Was the Ryujo sunk and how?

Yes, very quickly on the 24th. She was hit by at least ten bombs and torpedoes. Bombs came from dive bombers.

Were any hits made by horizontal bombers?

Not a single hit.

Were other ships hit there?

No battleships or cruisers were hit. However, on the 25th in mid-morning a destroyer which was escorting transports to Guadalcanal from Rabaul in a separate force north of Guadalcanal, was hit and sunk in the forenoon by B-17s. This was an old type destroyer which was standing by the Kikokawa Maru. The transport had been attacked by dive bombers from Guadalcanal and was damaged. The escort was standing by. The escort saw the high bombers coming but did not worry and did not get underway. I talked to the commanding officer, Commander Hatano, afterward. He was surprised that he was hit, because this was the first ship known to have been hit by horizontal bombers in the war. Commander Hatano was my classmate at Etajima and said, “Even the B-17s could make a hit once in a while.”

Were any Me 109s employed in the Solomons area?

No. Only one Messerschmitt fighter 109 was brought from Germany. It was used for test. It may be confused with carrier-borne two-seater reconnaissance bomber.

Confirmation of Previous Interrogations

Did you have radar at Coral Sea battle?

Not on cruisers. Maybe carriers had it, but do not think so.

What battleships were present with the First Air Fleet on the day of the Battle of Midway?

Kirishima and Haruna. The Hiei started out with this fleet but exchanged position with the Haruna just before the day of the battle. The Hiei joined the main body and the Haruna joined the carrier force.

Had the Haruna been damaged?

It was damaged at Kure by dive bombers this year. It has never been damaged before.

What was the plan of action for the cruisers the night of 4 June at Midway?

On the evening of 4 June, Japanese carrier group had been heavily damaged. The Seventh Cruis­er Squadron was ordered at full speed to bombard the airfield at Midway. On the way, appearance of submarines was reported, so they made emergency evasive turn resulting in collision between Mikuma and Mogami. The Mogami’s bow was most seriously damaged and was difficult to steer, but it followed the Mikuma for protection. Due to loss of speed and ability to steer, the next morning the Mogami was attacked and damaged by American dive bomber planes. The Mikuma was sunk at the same time.

Was the Mogami attacked also?

Yes, but received no great damage.

Were any radars used at the Battle of Midway?

Not sure. The battleships Ise and Hyuga had them about that time.

In the night battle of Savo Island, did you have radar that night?

No, visual fire control was used on that night—8 August.

In the Battle of Santa Cruz, 26 October 1942, how early did you have information of our carrier force?

Tone and Terutsuki were scouting from position approximately 167.5 degrees east and 7 degrees south. The pa­trol planes from the Gilberts discovered American ships from Hebrides and sent word to Japa­nese cruisers by radio about four or five days before the battle. When these ships received word, they returned to main body north of the Solomons.

The damaged and immobile Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo (center) photographed from a USAAF B-17 bomber, during a high-level bombing attack in the battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August 1942. The destroyers Amatsukaze (center left) and Tokitsukaze (faintly visible, center right) had been removing her crew and are now underway. The fingerprints are in the original picture.

A Japanese bomb explodes on the flight deck of USS Enterprise, 24 August 1942 during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, causing minor damage. This was the third and last bomb to hit Enterprise during the battle. The bomb was dropped by a Japanese Aichi D3A1 “Val” dive bomber piloted by Kazumi Horie who died in the attack. According to the original photo caption in the U.S. Navy’s archives, this explosion killed the photographer, Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Robert F. Read. This image, however, was actually taken by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Marion Riley, who was operating a motion picture camera from the aft end of the ship’s island, above the flight deck and who survived the battle although his photographic equipment was damaged. The film Riley took that day, and of which this still was extracted together with others and published in Life, can be seen on YouTube. Robert Read was stationed in the aft starboard 5” gun gallery and was killed by the second bomb to hit Enterprise. The smoke from the bomb explosion that killed Read can be seen in the upper left of this photograph.

A bomb hits aft starboard 5” gun gallery of Enterprise, destroying it and killing almost the entire crew, during Japanese air attack on 24 August 1942. This was the second bomb to hit Enterprise during the attack.

Upward bulge in the flight deck of Enterprise as the result of a bomb exploding below decks. The damage occurred in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August 1942, but the photo was taken some days later.

USS Bonefish SS-223: American Submarine

USS Bonefish (SS-223) arriving at Pearl Harbor before reporting to Australia, July 1943.

 

USS Bonefish (SS-223) was a Gato-class submarine, the first United States Navy ship to be named for the bonefish, which is a name for the ladyfish, dogfish, and sturgeon.

It had a busy career in the Pacific against Japanese shipping after being launched and commissioned in May 1943. It was sunk in June 1945 after sinking a ship on its eighth cruise.

Bonefish’s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut on 25 June 1942. She was launched 7 May 1943 (sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth S. Daubin, wife of Rear Admiral Freeland A. Daubin), and commissioned on 31 May 1943, Lieutenant Commander Thomas W. Hogan (Class of 1931) in command.

The submarine conducted shakedown training out of New London, Conn., and Newport, R.I., until 23 July, when she set out for the Pacific. She transited the Panama Canal on 4 August and arrived at Brisbane, Australia, on the 30th. Following a week of training out of that port, she again got underway for more days of drills in Moreton Bay. The submarine departed there on 16 September for her first war patrol.

First Patrol, September – October 1943

After transiting Balabac Strait on 22 September, Bonefish continued on to her patrol area in the central part of the South China Sea. Three days later, the submarine attacked a convoy of eight ships, scoring three hits on a freighter before the escorts forced her to go deep to avoid a depth charge attack. Bonefish encountered another convoy on 27 September and launched four torpedoes at the lead ship, the largest of the five, and sank the 9,908-ton transport Kashima Maru. The escort ships pursued Bonefish, but she was able to dive and elude her attackers. On 6 October, the boat approached a third convoy and scored hits on two heavily laden cargo vessels. Again forced to go deep to avoid the counterattack, she failed to evaluate the damage that her torpedoes had done to the targets. On 10 October, in her last action of the patrol, Bonefish fired a spread of four torpedoes at two ships of a convoy off Indochina, sending both the 4,212-ton cargo ship Isuzugawa and the 10,086-ton transport Teibi Maru to the bottom. Bonefish concluded her first war patrol back at Fremantle, Western Australia on 21 October.

Second Patrol, November – December 1943

After refit and training, the submarine got underway on 22 November for the South China Sea and her second war patrol. She entered the Flores Sea on 28 November and, the next day, intercepted two enemy ships. Bonefish made a submerged approach and launched four torpedoes. Two of the four — one hit amidships and another struck the freighter under her mainmast — sent the 4,646-ton cargo ship Suez Maru down rapidly by the stern. The escort increased speed and headed for Bonefish, but the sub went deep and escaped the barrage of depth charges. Unknown to Bonefish, Suez Maru was carrying 415 British and 133 Dutch POWs. Minesweeper W.12 picked up the Japanese survivors although recently released documents state that W.12 machine-gunned the surviving POWs (a minimum of 250) in the water,

On 1 December, the boat sighted a convoy of three ships with two escorts hugging the Celebes coast. In two separate attacks, the submarine scored a hit on a large passenger/cargo ship Nichiryo Maru which later sank and another on a destroyer escort which apparently survived.

Bonefish conducted a submerged patrol of Sandakan Harbor, Borneo, from 4 – 6 December and then sailed for Tarakan. On 11 December, she surfaced to engage small cargo vessel Toyohime Maru with gunfire, scoring several hits before a mechanical problem put her gun out of action. The next day, the boat made a submerged approach on an unidentified Japanese vessel and fired six torpedoes, scoring one hit; Bonefish never learned the fate of her target. She cleared the area and arrived at Fremantle on 19 December.

Third Patrol, January – March 1944

Following refit and training, the submarine sailed from Fremantle on 12 January 1944 to conduct her third war patrol. While operating in the vicinity of Makassar Strait on 22 January, Bonefish encountered a large sailing vessel. The stranger’s crew of seven acted suspiciously as the submarine approached, and despite repeated orders to do so, the crew refused to abandon ship. When Bonefish opened fire with her machine guns, the natives leaped overboard. As the vessel began to sink, Japanese troops emerged from below decks; Bonefish counted 39 men going over the side.

On 6 February, the submarine sighted a convoy composed of at least 17 ships. As she maneuvered into attack position, Bonefish selected a large oiler as her primary target and launched four bow “fish” at it. She fired the other two bow tubes at a cargo ship and then tried to swing her stern into position to fire her after tubes. With escorts charging her, the boat suddenly lost depth control and ducked her periscope below the water. Nine tons of water rushed into her forward torpedo room before the proper valves were secured. Bonefish managed to evade the escorts, and her crew heard explosions which they interpreted as at least two hits on the oiler and one on the cargo ship. Nevertheless, it seems that neither target sank.

The submarine next trained her torpedo tubes on a convoy of 13 ships which she contacted on 9 February in Camranh Bay. Although detected by a Japanese destroyer, Bonefish succeeded in firing five torpedoes at the ex-whale-factory tanker Tonan Maru No. 2 before making an emergency dive in shallow water. The submarine escaped damage from both the destroyer’s depth charges and from aerial bombs which enemy aircraft dropped, but they prevented her from observing the results of her attack. (The Tonan Maru was hit but quickly repaired.) Following this action, she continued to seek targets for more than a month before returning to Fremantle on 15 March.

Fourth Patrol, April – May 1944

Underway again on 13 April, Bonefish headed for the Celebes Sea and her fourth war patrol. On 26 April, she intercepted a convoy of four ships steaming along the Mindanao coast. The submarine maneuvered into a position suitable to attack Tokiwa Maru, launched four torpedoes, and then turned to evade the escorts. Two torpedoes struck the 806-ton passenger/cargo ship amidships and aft, sinking her. The next day, Bonefish fired a spread of four torpedoes at a cargo ship headed for Davao Gulf but, in spite of three hits, failed to sink the target.

While in the Sulu Sea on 3 May, Bonefish approached a convoy but was forced to dive when an enemy plane dropped two depth bombs which exploded close aboard. The boat sustained minor damage and surfaced to make repairs, but two Japanese ships began to close in on her. Bonefish went deep once again and rigged for the depth charges, 25 in all. When her pursuers left the area, so did Bonefish. She moved to the northern approach to Basilan Strait. She attacked a convoy in those waters on 7 May, firing four torpedoes at an escort vessel, but could not observe the results.

On 14 May, Bonefish approached a convoy of three tankers and three escorting destroyers, steaming off Tawitawi in the Philippines and headed for Sibutu Passage. The submarine fired five torpedoes. One hit under the bridge of a tanker and another struck under the stack, enveloping the ship in smoke and flames. The destroyers converged on Bonefish for counterattack, but she escaped into the depths. Postwar records show that, while her torpedoes only damaged the tanker, they sank one of the escorting destroyers, Inazuma.

Bonefish then set course for Sibutu Passage on a reconnaissance mission. She sighted a Japanese task force consisting of three battleships, one aircraft carrier, three heavy cruisers, and one light cruiser, screened by eight destroyers. The submarine relayed the information, then continued her reconnaissance. She again sighted and reported the same task force on the 17th, this time anchored in Tawitawi Bay. Upon completing this mission, she headed for Australia and arrived at Fremantle on 30 May.

Fifth Patrol, June – August 1944

Under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Lawrence L. Edge, the submarine began her fifth war patrol on 25 June and headed again for the Celebes Sea. On 6 July, she surfaced to destroy a wooden-hulled schooner by gunfire. She then cleared the area and, the next day, engaged and destroyed another small ship with gunfire. Later that same day, the boat fired eight torpedoes at a small cargo ship, scoring several hits. On 8 July, she used her guns to touch off a blazing fire in a small, inter-island steamer and, two days later, sank a sampan with gunfire.

On 29 July, Bonefish commenced tracking a large, but empty, tanker with escorts and, early the next morning, gained a favorable attack position. She fired six torpedoes and scored four hits. The target, Kokuyo Maru, immediately settled by the stern, and Bonefish headed for the traffic lanes north of Sibutu and Tawitawi. On 3 August, she damaged a tanker with one torpedo hit. She set course for Fremantle the next day, ending her patrol there on 13 August.

Sixth Patrol, September – October 1944

With her crew refreshed and her provisions and ammunition replenished, Bonefish got underway on 5 September for the Sibuyan Sea. After three days there without encountering any enemy ships, she departed those waters on 24 September. Four days later, while patrolling off Mindoro, the submarine sighted a large, heavily laden tanker escorted by two destroyers. She fired all of her bow torpedoes and heard and felt the hits on the 2,068-ton Japanese ship Anjo Maru. Bonefish tracked the target who’s rapidly falling speed indicated her distress until the crippled tanker’s escorts forced the boat to retire. A postwar examination of Japanese records confirmed that Anio Maru sank later that day.

During the latter part of this patrol, Bonefish joined Flasher (SS-249) and Lapon (SS-260) in forming a coordinated attack group. Patrolling in the vicinity of Cape Bolinao on 10 October, the boats attacked a convoy of cargo ships, and Bonefish scored three hits for undetermined damage. Four days later, while en route to a lifeguard station, she sank cargo ship Fushimi Maru. On 18 October, the submarine rescued two naval aviators. She departed her lifeguard station the next day, stopped at Saipan for fuel on the 27th, and continued on to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 8 November.

From Hawaii, Bonefish continued on to San Francisco, California, where she underwent overhaul at the Bethlehem Steel Submarine Repair Basin from 18 November 1944 to 13 February 1945. Then, after refresher training off Monterey, Calif., she returned to Pearl Harbor where she conducted exercises until 20 March.

Seventh Patrol, March – May 1945

Bonefish then set sail via Guam for the East China Sea and her seventh war patrol. Despite thorough coverage of the waters assigned her, she made few contacts and each of these was a small antisubmarine vessel. On 13 April, she attempted to sink a patrol vessel, but the target’s radical maneuvers enabled it to escape. While on lifeguard duty off Korea’s southern coast on 16 April, Bonefish rescued two Japanese aviators who had been shot down by a Navy plane. On 7 May, the submarine returned to Apra Harbor, Guam, ending a short and unsuccessful patrol.

Eighth Patrol, May – June 1945

Upon completion of refit on 28 May, Bonefish got underway in company with Tunny (SS-282) and Skate (SS-305), as part of “Pierce’s Pole Cats,” commanded by Tunny’s skipper, Commander George E. Pierce. Equipped with a new mine-detecting device, the submarines were ordered to penetrate the Sea of Japan to sever the last of the Japanese overseas supply lines. Bonefish successfully threaded her way through the minefields by Tsushima Island as she transited the Korea Strait to enter the Sea of Japan for an offensive patrol off the west central coast of Honshū.

During a rendezvous with Tunny on 16 June, Bonefish reported sinking Oshikayama Maru, a 6,892-ton cargo ship. In a second rendezvous two days later, she requested and received permission to conduct a daylight submerged patrol of Toyama Bay, a bay farther up the Honshū coast. The attack group was to depart the Sea of Japan via La Perouse Strait on the night of 24 June. Bonefish did not make the scheduled pre-transit rendezvous. Still, Tunny waited in vain off Hokkaidō for three days. On 30 July, Bonefish was presumed lost.

Japanese records reveal that the 5,488-ton cargo ship Konzan Maru was torpedoed and sunk in Toyama Wan on 19 June and that an ensuing severe counterattack by Japanese escorts, the Okinawa, CD-63, CD-75, CD-158 and CD-207, brought debris and a major oil slick to the water’s surface. There can be little doubt that Bonefish was sunk in this action. She was the last United States Submarine lost in the war.

Awards

Navy Unit Commendation: five awards for her first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth war patrols

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with seven battle stars

World War II Victory Medal

On Eternal Patrol

The following men were lost while serving on USS Bonefish (SS-223).

Donald Arthur Abel

Thomas Bryant Adams, Jr.

Wendell Shirley Adams

Lawrence Maxon Amburgey

Gustav Ivar Anderson, Jr.

Sestilio John Aureli

Merle La Vaghn Beck

Roderick Wayne Brown

James Auswell Browning

Charles Austin Burdick

Kenneth Thomas Canfield

John Abel Coleman

Quintus Leon Cooley

Otis Clyde Danielson

Davis Henry Dunn

Lawrence Lott Edge

Ermand Richard “Dick” Enos

William Henry Epps, Jr.

Paul Emerson Feld

Donald Charles Fox

Richard Elmer Frank

Mack Alfred Fugett

Grant Moses Fuller

Howard John Hackstaff

Guy Philip Harman

John Joe Hasiak

Richard Donald Hess

Wilbur Seth Houghton

Robert Wendell Jenkins

John Charles Johnson

Stuart Edwin Johnson, Jr.

Russel Mackay Johnston

Michael Wallace Kalinoff

William Garrard Karr

Robert Thomas Keefer

Franklin Brooks Kern

Edward Winfield King

John Edward Kissane

Fraser Sinclair Knight

Joseph Norman Lamothe

John Joseph Laracy, Jr.

Marion Arthur Lewis

Thomas Gornall Lockwood

Joseph Francis Lynch

Allan George Maghan

John Emery Markle

Roy Julian McBride

Henry Vernon Miles, Jr.

Sidney Allen Nester

Joseph Robert Newberry

Douglas Herman Olson

William Patrick O’Toole

John Frederick Parton

Theodore Paskin

George Wallace Pauley

John Ellsworth Phenicie

Louis James Primavera

George Arnold Prunier

Clayton Francis Quenett

Charles Herman Raley

Roscoe Conkling Ray, Jr.

James Arthur Raynes

Jack Arnold Reid

Charles James Rhanor

Robert Melvin Rice

Russell Albert Rose, Jr.

Robert George Schiller

Charles Jentz Schmidling

Roy Gordon Schweyer

Robert Edwin Slater

Logan Champeon Smith, Jr.

Roger Lamar Snodgrass

Raymond Steward Stamm

Robert Manning Surber

Daniel Raymond Tierney

Russell Charles Velie

Thomas Frederick Vincent, Jr.

Willard Whitright

Jay James Williams

John Robert Williams, Jr.

Tom Ford Williams

Joseph Ronald Wilson

Clarence Dell Winegar

Lynn Edward Wolfe

George W. Wright, Jr.

Keel of the Bonefish (SS-223) being laid on 5 June 1942, at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut.

Fore Poppet of the Bonefish (SS-223) shown before her launch at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, on 7 March 1943.

Topside looking forward of the Bonefish (SS-223), on the building ways at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, 7 March 1943. Also under construction from right to left are the Cod (SS-224), Cero (SS-225), & at extreme right Corvina (SS-226). Directly under the photographer would have been the #1 way at the Old North Yard, which on 7 March would have been occupied by the keel of Sealion (SS-315).

Stern view of the Bonefish (SS-223) showing her starboard torpedo tubes, on the building ways at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, 7 March 1943.

Flag-draped bow view of the Bonefish (SS-223) just prior to her launching on the building ways at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, 7 March 1943.

Mrs. Daubin to Sponsor Sub Bonefish (SS-223) Sunday.

Two WAVES to Participate in Ceremonies to Select Sponsors for Sub Launchings.

Sponsors party for the launch of the Bonefish (SS-223) at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, on 7 March 1943. Mrs. Elizabeth Scott Daubin and Admiral Freeland Daubin. This was the second time that Mrs. Daubin had launched a submarine. The L-1 (SS-40) left her on the launching ways at the Fore River shipbuilding yards at Quincy, MA. on 20 January 1915.

Mrs. Elizabeth Scott Daubin and her bouquet of flowers await the launch of the Bonefish (SS-223) at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, on 7 March 1943.

Bonefish’s (SS-223) sponsor, Mrs. Elizabeth Scott Daubin holds the bottle of champagne which will soon meet 1,526 tons of cold steel at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, on 7 March 1943.

Billowy brew blows by Bonefish’s (SS-223) bow as Betsy blasts a bottle of bubbly bye bye at her christening ceremony at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, on 7 March 1943.

USS Bonefish (SS-223) slides down the ways at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, 7 March 1943.

Commemorative post mark from Bonefish’s (SS-223) launching at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, 7 March 1943.

Commemorative post mark from Bonefish’s (SS-223) launching at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Connecticut, 7 March 1943.

USS Bonefish (SS-223) is towed to dock on 15 March 1943.

The national ensign is raised on the flagstaff of Bonefish (SS-223) as her crew salutes during her commissioning ceremony, 31 May 1943.

Commemorative post mark from Bonefish’s (SS-223) commissioning ceremony, 31 May 1943.

USS Bonefish (SS-223), underway, 1943.

Commander Thomas Wesley Hogan was the commanding officer of the Bonefish (SS-223) from 31 May 1943 to June 1944. He is the holder of the Navy Cross with two gold bars in lieu of the second and third awards, the Silver Star with one star in lieu of the second award, two Commendation Ribbons with bronze “V,” and the Presidential Unit Citation with one star in lieu of second award. Commander Hogan is a member of the Naval Academy Class of 1931.

Admiral Christy presenting a medal to Commander Thomas Wesley Hogan of the Bonefish (SS-223).

(L to R) Chief Torpedoman, Commander Thomas Wesley Hogan and two Lieutenants of the Bonefish (SS-223).

Submarine Combat Insignia awarded to McMM1c H. Vernon Miles.

Bonefish (SS-223) crew photo includes Electrician’s Mate, Third Class John Frederick Parton, 1st row, 2nd on left, McMM1c H. Vernon Miles, second row from the bottom, fourth in from the left.

Busy pier scene at Fremantle Austraila, 19 December 1943. From left to right, stern view to the camera are the Bonefish (SS-223), Rasher (SS-269), Bowfin (SS-287), Bluefish (SS-222), Narwhal (SS-167) and the sub tender Pelias (AS-14). Second row, bow view are the Cod (SS-224), Tinosa (SS-283) and Crevalle (SS-291). It is believed the only time that photo could have been taken was 19 December 1943. The Tinosa was in Fremantle only once, from 16 December 1943 to 10 January 1944. During that brief window, the Bonefish had not arrived until 19 December and the Rasher departed 19 December so that is the single date all three submarines were ever in Fremantle port at the same time.

Painting entitled Homeward Bound by the artist E.V. Vandos, depicting Capelin (SS-289) on her homeward bound voyage to eternal patrol. The other submarine might be the Bonefish (SS-223) which would join her on eternal patrol on 18 June 1945. Nothing has been positively heard from Capelin since she departed. However, Bonefish reported having seen a U.S. submarine at 1°-14’N, 123°-50’E on 2 December 1943. This position is in the area assigned to Capelin at this time. An attempt to reach Capelin by radio, on 9 December 1943, elicited no response.

While escorting a tanker convoy from Manila towards Balikpapan on 14 May 1944, Inazuma exploded after being struck by torpedoes launched by Bonefish (SS-223) in the Celebes Sea near Tawitawi at position 5°8’N 119°38’E / 5.133°N 119.633° / 5.133; 119.633. Her sister ship Hibiki rescued the 125 survivors, which did not include her captain, Commander Tokiwa. Picture of Inazuma underway on 24 March 1936.

USS Bonefish (SS-223) returning to the submarine base in Fremantle, Australia, at the end of her fourth war patrol on 30 May 1944.

Crew of the USS Bonefish (SS-223) pose for group photo. Commander Edge is kneeling in the first row, fourth on the left.

Bonefish (SS-223) Christmas post card oil painting by Lloyds of Vallejo Art Studio.

Lawrence Lott Edge, Commander (Commanding Officer) of the USS Bonefish (SS-223), at the time of her loss while in the performance of Operation Barney.

Coast Defense Vessel No. 17, at Yokohama, 13 April, 1944, representative of three of the class of ships which sank the Bonefish (SS-223); Coast Defense Vessel No. 63, Coast Defense Vessel No. 75, and Coast Defense Vessel No. 207.

Memorial wreath being laid over the site of the Bonefish (SS-223), on the west coast of Honshu by the crew of the Yorktown (CVA-10), 29 September 1961.