May 19, 1944, The USS England DE-635 attacked and sank the Japanese submarine I-16. While this event in itself was repeated over and over during the war, the I-16 was just the first one lost to the England.

The England was named in honor of John Charles England, an ensign on the USS Oklahoma BB-37. When the Oklahoma was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor England was in the radio room. He brought up an injured man and went back down into the doomed battleship. He made two more trips below while the ship was sinking, returning with two more men He went back a fourth time and was never seen again. John was never decorated for his bravery, but on Sept. 26, 1943 the navy paid him the highest honor when Mrs. Thelma England, John's mother, broke a bottle of champagne on the bow of the ship named for her son.

England was commissioned on Dec. 10, 1943 with Walton B. Pendleton in command. The England arrived in the Pacific theater on Mar. 12, 1944 and was placed on patrol and escort duty. On May 19, 1944 the England attacked and sank the I-16, a record never to be duplicated had begun. On May 22nd she sent the RO-106 to
the bottom. May 23rd the RO-104 joined the other two submarines. The next day May 24th the RO-116 was dispatched to eternity followed by RO-108 on May 26. Finally on May 31 the RO-105 was destroyed by England in concert with four other ships. Six Japanese submarines (5 sunk by England alone) was a record never again achieved by any U.S. ship.

England spent the rest of her time in the war on various escort voyages. Until May 9, 1945 when she was crashed by a Kamikaze. The aircraft hit her just below the bridge killing 37 of her crew. She was sent to Philadelphia to undergo repairs and to be converted into a fast transport ship (APD-41). The war's end stopped this work and the England was decommissioned on Oct. 15, 1945. Soon afterwards she was sold and scrapped.

After the submarine sinkings Admiral Ernest King sent a message to Capt. Pendleton saying "There'll always be an England in the U.S. Navy" A second England DLG-22 (later CG-22) was launched on March 6, 1962 and was decommissioned Jan. 21, 1994. However Admiral King's statement is, at this time, unfulfilled.

Captain Walton B. Pendleton was awarded the Navy Cross and left the navy in 1947. He died in Portsmouth, Virginia on Dec. 9, 1972.

A quick look at the enemy boats.

The I-16 was a one of five C1 Type boats.
Length: 358'
Beam 30"
Submerged displacement: 3,561 tons
Armament: 8 X 533mm torpedo tubes (all forward serviced by two torpedo rooms one above the other)  
20 torpedoes                  
1 X 14cm/.50 cal. deck gun
Max. depth: 330' Crew: 101

Note: All five of the C1 types carried the midget subs that were used during the Pearl Harbor attack.         
The I-16 carried 107 men at the time of her loss.

RO boats
Type: Kaisho
Class: RO-100
Length: 200'
Beam: 20'
Submerged displacement: 782 tons
Armament: 4 X 533mm torpedo tubes, all forward 8 torpedoes                   
1 X 76mm deck gun
Max. depth: 245'
Crew: 38
Note: At the time of their loss RO-106 carried a crew of 49 , the RO-104 carried 58, the RO-105 carried 55,
I don't know how many were on board the RO-108 or the RO-116

None of the crew of any of the submarines sunk survived and none of the submarines in either class survived
the war.

© 2005 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

USS England DE-635