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, Iron Crown 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.[1]
On March 20, 1943, Fort Mumford was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean (10°00′N71°00′E / 10.000°N 71.000°E / 10.000; 71.000) by I-27.[2][3] The sole survivor of this sinking made no comment as to the fate of the crew,[citation needed] although some publications suggest that they may have been killed by the crew of I-27.[4][5] 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.[6][7] Five of Montanan's crew were killed and 58 were rescued.[8]
On July 5, 1943 I-27 torpedoed and damaged the Alcoa Prospector[7], 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 freighterKinsman Independent.[citation needed]
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.[9] 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.[10]
The submarine torpedoed and sank the Allied steamship SSKhedive Ismail near the Maldives on February 12, 1944, killing 1,297 passengers and crew. After the attack, I-27 attempted to hide under Khedive Ismail's survivors who were floating in the water. Nevertheless, the British destroyers HMSPaladin and HMSPetard located the submarine and destroyed it with depth charges, ramming, and torpedoes at 01°25′N72°22′E / 1.417°N 72.367°E / 1.417; 72.367. Ninety-nine of I-27's crew were killed. One survivor was captured by the British.[11]
12"Indian Ocean– Red Sea 1943". U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged in South Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Red Sea During World War II. American Merchant Marine at War, www.usmm.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
Hashimoto, Mochitsura (1954). Sunk: The Story of the Japanese Submarine Fleet 1942 – 1945. Colegrave, E.H.M. (translator). London: Cassell and Company. ASIN B000QSM3L0.
Milanovich, Kathrin (2021). "The IJN Submarines of the I 15 Class". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2021. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp.29–43. ISBN978-1-4728-4779-9.
Empire of Japan
