I-27 was a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy which saw service during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. I-27 was commissioned at Sasebo, Japan on February 24, 1942 and sunk on February 12, 1944, after torpedoing the troopship .
Service history On May 31, 1942, I-27 launched midget submarine M-14 as the leading submarine for the attack on Sydney Harbour in Australia.
On June 4, 1942, while en route Whyalla-Newcastle was torpedoed and sunk 44 miles SSW of Gabo Island by I-27. Thirty eight of her forty two crew were lost, with the survivors being picked up by SS Mulbera.
On March 20, 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean () by I-27. The sole survivor of this sinking made no comment as to the fate of the crew, although some publications suggest that they may have been killed by the crew of I-27.Quiet Heroes: British Merchant Seamen at War, 1939-1945, Bernard Edwards, Pen and Sword, 2010, , 9781783036783 There is no conclusive evidence either way, but there is also no evidence of I-27 taking such action on other occasions.
On June 3, 1943, I-27 torpedoed and sank SS Montanan in the Indian Ocean. Five of Montanans crew were killed and 58 were rescued.
On July 5, 1943 I-27 torpedoed and damaged the Alcoa Prospector, sailing as part of convoy PA44 in the Gulf of Oman. The turbine engines of this ship were later salvaged and used to propel the Great Lakes freighter Kinsman Independent.
On November 8, 1943, I-27 sank the Liberty ship SS Sambridge. The survivors made it safely to lifeboats and the second officer Henry Scurr was taken prisoner. A burst of machine-gun fire was heard by the survivors, but its reason is unknown as Scurr was eventually freed from Changi prison camp at the end of the war.Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War, Ian M Malcolm, The History Press, 2013, , 9780750953719
The submarine torpedoed and sank the Allied steamship near the Maldives on February 12, 1944, killing 1,297 passengers and crew. After the attack, I-27 attempted to hide under Khedive Ismails survivors who were floating in the water. Nevertheless, the British destroyers and located the submarine and destroyed it with depth charges, ramming, and torpedoes at . All of I-27s crew were killed.
Summery of raiding history +DateShip nameClassificationTonnageNationalityFate4 June 1942BarwonFreighter4,239AustraliaDamaged4 June 1942Iron CrownCargo ship3,353AustraliaSunk22 October 1942Ocean VintageArmed steamship7,174BritishSunk20 March 1943Fort MumfordMerchant ship7,132BritishSunk7 May 1943BerakitMotor vessel6,608DutchSunk3 June 1943MontananArmed freighter4,897USASunk24 June 1943British VentureArmed tanker4,696BritishSunk28 June 1943Dah PuhArmed steamship1,974Norwegian Sunk5 July 1943Alcoa ProspecterFreighter6,797USADamaged9 September 1943LarchbankArmed motor vessel5,151BritishSunk10 November 1943SamboCargo ship7,176BritishSunk18 November 1943SambridgeCargo ship7,176BritishSunk3 December 1943Fort CamosunFreighter7,126BritishDamaged12 February 1944Khedive IsmailArmed steamship7,513BritishSunk
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