I-2 was an Imperial Japanese Navy J1 type cruiser submarine commissioned in 1926. She served in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. During the latter conflict she operated in support of the attack on Pearl Harbor, conducted anti-shipping patrols in the Indian Ocean, supported the Indian Ocean raid, and took part in the Aleutian Islands campaign , the Guadalcanal campaign, Operation Ke, and the New Guinea campaign before she was sunk in April 1944.
Construction and commissioning
Built by Kawasaki at Kobe, Japan, I-2 was laid down on 6 August 1923 with the name Submarine Cruiser No. 75. While she was on the building ways, she was renamed I-2 on 1 November 1924. She was launched on 23 February 1925 and was completed and commissioned on 24 July 1926.
Service history
1926–1937
Upon commissioning, I-2 was assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, and she moved from Kobe to Yokosuka before the end of July 1926. On 1 August 1926, she and her sister ship were assigned to Submarine Division 7 in Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet, a component of the Combined Fleet. On 1 July 1927, the division was reassigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District, and on 15 September 1927 it returned to duty in Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet.
On 15 November 1929, I-2 was decommissioned and placed in reserve. While in reserve, she underwent modernization, in which her German-made diesel engines and entire battery installation were replaced. With the work completed, she was recommissioned on 15 November 1930, and on 30 November 1929 Submarine Division 7 again was assigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District.
On 1 August 1930, Submarine Division 7 began an assignment to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet, a component of the Combined Fleet, The division was reassigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District on 1 October 1931, but it began another tour of duty in Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet on 1 December 1931. It completed this assignment on 1 October 1932 and again was assigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division in the Yokosuka Naval District, then returned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet for a third time on 15 November 1933. The German naval attaché to Japan, Kapitän zur See Paul Wenneker, toured I-2 between 14:50 and 15:40 on 10 January 1935 while she was tied up at Yokosuka.
I-2 got underway from Sasebo, Japan, in company with the other vessels of Submarine Squadron 1 — I-1 and of Submarine Division 7 and , , and of Submarine Division 8 — for a training cruise in Chinese waters on 29 March 1935. The six submarines concluded the cruise with their return to Sasebo on 4 April 1935. On 1 October 1935, I-2 again was decommissioned and placed in reserve to undergo reconstruction, and on 15 November 1935 her division was reassigned to the Yokosuka Defense Squadron in the Yokosuka Naval District,
While I-2 was out of commission, her American-made K-tube sonar was replaced by a sonar system manufactured in Japan and her conning tower was streamlined. Submarine Division 7 returned to duty with Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet on 20 January 1936, and after her reconstruction was complete, I-2 was recommissioned on 1 December 1936 and rejoined the division. On 27 March 1937, I-2 departed Sasebo in company with I-1, I-3, I-4, I-5, and I-6 for training in the vicinity of Qingdao, China. The six submarines concluded the training cruise with their arrival at Ariake Bay on 6 April 1937.
Second Sino-Japanese War
On 7 July 1937 the first day of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident took place, beginning the Second Sino-Japanese War. On 28 July 1937, I-2′s division, Submarine Division 7, was assigned to Submarine Squadron 1 in the 1st Fleet, and in September 1937 Submarine Squadron 1 was reassigned to the 3rd Fleet which in turn was subordinated to the China Area Fleet for service in Chinese waters. The squadron, consisting of I-2, her division mate I-1, and the submarines , , , and , deployed to a base at Hong Kong with the submarine tenders and in September 1937. From Hong Kong, the submarines began operations in support of a Japanese blockade of China and patrols of China′s central and southern coast. From 20 or 21 (sources disagree) to 23 August 1937, all six submarines of Submarine Squadron 1 operated in the East China Sea as distant cover for an operation in which the battleships , , , and and the light cruiser ferried troops from Tadotsu, Japan, to Shanghai, China.