General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: Japanees subs i europe
Posted by:
Andrew Mair
()
Date: April 22, 2001 08:29AM
<HTML>Hi Rich,
Yes, the I-52 did make it quite close to European waters, and rendezvoused some 850 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands on June 23rd 1944 with the U-530. According to Boyd and Yoshida\'s book the I-52 had a cargo of rubber, quantities of wolfram, molybdenum, quinine and 14 passengers. They don\'t mention any gold being carried, but Blair in his book, \'Hitler\'s U-Boat War Vol.2\', mentions the I-52 carrying two tons of gold in the form of 146 bars. The I-52 was sunk by aircraft from the USS \'Bogue\' on 23rd or 24th June, destroyer escorts removing blocks of rubber and a Japanese sandal from the area.
However, Blair speculates that the I-52 may have survived this attack, after a decrypted radio message from the Japanese Naval Attache in Berlin was sent to Tokyo on 31st July, stating that the day previous, 30th July, the I-52 had established communication and would arrive at Lorient on 4th August.
Blair also mentions that a salvage team found the I-52 in seventeen thousand feet of water some 1,200 miles west of the Cape Verde\'s. I may be wrong, but has there been a documentary about this sub shown on the television?? Anyway hope this has been of help.
All the best,
Andrew</HTML>
Yes, the I-52 did make it quite close to European waters, and rendezvoused some 850 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands on June 23rd 1944 with the U-530. According to Boyd and Yoshida\'s book the I-52 had a cargo of rubber, quantities of wolfram, molybdenum, quinine and 14 passengers. They don\'t mention any gold being carried, but Blair in his book, \'Hitler\'s U-Boat War Vol.2\', mentions the I-52 carrying two tons of gold in the form of 146 bars. The I-52 was sunk by aircraft from the USS \'Bogue\' on 23rd or 24th June, destroyer escorts removing blocks of rubber and a Japanese sandal from the area.
However, Blair speculates that the I-52 may have survived this attack, after a decrypted radio message from the Japanese Naval Attache in Berlin was sent to Tokyo on 31st July, stating that the day previous, 30th July, the I-52 had established communication and would arrive at Lorient on 4th August.
Blair also mentions that a salvage team found the I-52 in seventeen thousand feet of water some 1,200 miles west of the Cape Verde\'s. I may be wrong, but has there been a documentary about this sub shown on the television?? Anyway hope this has been of help.
All the best,
Andrew</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Japanees subs i europe
|
Viking | 04/19/2001 04:50PM |
|
RE: Japanees subs i europe
|
Andrew Mair | 04/19/2001 06:29PM |
|
RE: Japanees subs i europe
|
Rich Mickle | 04/21/2001 02:13PM |
|
RE: Japanees subs i europe
|
Andrew Mair | 04/22/2001 08:29AM |
|
RE: Japanees subs i europe
|
Rich Mickle | 04/22/2001 06:02PM |