The I-58's first operatasoff Guam with four Kaiten and their crews. On Jan. 12, 1945, it launched all four Kaiten and is credited with sinking an escort carrier and a large fleet oiler. Then, it was on Operation Tan No. 2 where it acted as a radio relay ship for kamikaze attacks. One plane crashed into the carrier USS Randolph.
During Operation Ten-Ga it twice tried to break through the American anti-submarine defense at Okinawa, but failed.
On July 28, 1945, the I-58 attacked the cargo ship Wild Hunter and launched two Kaiten. One was driven off by the Wild Hunter and the other rammed by escort ship ISS Lowry.
Doing some research into I-58's operations, I found that a USS LCI (L)-600 was sunk Jan. 12, 1945 at Ulithi by a Kaiten Suicide Submarine/Human Torpedo which might be one of the two ships the I-58 might have sunk that day.
As far as the escort carrier, no U.S. carriers were sunk that day, but the USS Ommaney Bay was crippled by a kamikaze on January 4, 1945 and eventually sunk by the American destroyer escorting it.
I didn't find any record of a Wild Hunter being attacked on July 28, 1945. The Wikipedia account of the USS Lowry does not mention action on July 28, 1945.
So, it doesn't appear that the I-58 had much of a war record before July 30, 1945. ////
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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