HMS Telemachus sank Japanese submarine I-166 in the Strait of Malacca, one of the few submarine-versus-submarine kills of the Pacific war.
Key Facts
- Date
- 17 July 1944
- Location
- Strait of Malacca
- Attacker
- HMS Telemachus (Royal Navy)
- Target sunk
- I-166 (Kadai-type submarine, IJN)
- British commander
- Commander Bill King
- Detection method
- ASDIC (sonar) while submerged
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Operating with the Eastern Fleet from Colombo, Ceylon, Commander Bill King sailed HMS Telemachus on 13 July 1944 to One Fathom Bank to intercept Japanese naval traffic transiting between Penang and Singapore through the Strait of Malacca.
On 17 July 1944, while submerged, the ASDIC operator aboard HMS Telemachus detected propeller sounds. The crew sighted the Japanese Kadai-type submarine I-166, and Telemachus attacked and sank her in the Strait of Malacca.
The sinking of I-166 eliminated a Japanese submarine and demonstrated the effectiveness of Royal Navy submarine operations in Southeast Asian waters under the Eastern Fleet, disrupting Japanese naval movements along the Penang–Singapore corridor.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Commander Bill King.
Side B
1 belligerent