Dear Simon,

Many thanks for your message.

In fact, I think I have now got to the bottom of the Road's End story. There were 24 surrendered IJN submarines involved, and I know which ones they were.

They had all moved out of Sasebo under their own power (and with Japanese skeleton crews) under USN escort on 1 April 1946, before being sunk some 60 miles offshore by gunfire, bombing and demolition charges.

That left 9 IJN submarines in Sasebo, which could not be moved under their own power, and these were then towed into Sasebo Bay and scuttled on 5 April 1946 (under Operation Dead Duck!).

The problem with all this is that, although its a very interesting story in its own right, it still does not answer my outstanding query about the final disposal of the 3 ex-U-Boats (one in Maizuru and 2 in Kobe) by the US Navy. I know when they were sunk, but would still like to find out how and who by (ie. which ships were involved).

So if anyone can help, I should be most grateful.

Finally, there is a lot of information on the web about the end of the war in Japan if you type in "COMNAVJAP", but the sort of detail that I am seeking continues to be elusive.

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions.

Yours aye

Derek