Submarine I-58

IJN I-58 was a B3-type cruiser submarine built at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal and commissioned in September 1944. She was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto and was modified in 1945 to carry six Kaiten manned torpedoes in addition to conventional torpedoes. Her moment of historical infamy came on the night of July 29-30, 1945, when she encountered USS Indianapolis (CA-35) in the Philippine Sea. Indianapolis had just delivered the core components of "Little Boy" — the first atomic bomb used in war — to Tinian Island, and was on her way to the Philippines for training. Hashimoto fired six conventional Type 95 torpedoes at the ship he believed to be an Idaho-class battleship. Two torpedoes struck, and Indianapolis sank in just 12 minutes. Of the 1,195 crew, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 890 faced four days of exposure, dehydration, shark attacks, and saltwater poisoning before rescue — ultimately only 317 survived. This was the last major US Navy combat loss of World War II. After Japan's surrender, I-58 was towed to the Goto Islands and scuttled on April 1, 1946.