Action of 17 July 1944 facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Action of 17 July 1944
Part of The Pacific War of the Second World War
Strait of Malacca (in red)
Date 17 July 1944 Location off Penang, Malaysia, Indian Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Bill King	Suwa Koichiro
Strength
HMS Telemachus	Japanese submarine I-166
Casualties and losses
None	I-166 sunk 88 killed

The action of 17 July 1944 was an important event during World War II. It was a battle between two submarines. A British submarine, called Telemachus, sank a Japanese submarine, the I-166. This happened in the Strait of Malacca, which is a narrow sea passage.

This victory was a big success for the British Royal Navy. It showed how skilled their submarine crews were.

Hunting in the Strait of Malacca

The British submarine Telemachus was part of the Eastern Fleet. This fleet was based in Colombo, Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka). The submarine's commander was Bill King.

On July 13, 1944, Commander King moved his submarine to a spot known as One Fathom Bank. This area was perfect for catching Japanese ships and submarines. He wanted to stop traffic moving between Penang and Singapore.

The crew of Telemachus waited patiently. They were underwater on July 17. Suddenly, the ASDIC operator heard something. ASDIC was a special sonar system used to detect objects underwater. The operator heard the sound of propellers. Soon after, the watch team spotted a Japanese submarine. It was the I-166.

The Submarine Battle

Even though there was some mist, Telemachus followed the I-166 for about 30 minutes. Commander King waited until the Japanese submarine was less than a mile away. He positioned Telemachus perfectly to fire.

At 7:20 AM, King launched six torpedoes. These torpedoes had powerful Torpex warheads. He fired them from about 1,500 yards away. King then tried to turn his submarine quickly to fire more torpedoes from the back.

However, this turn didn't go as planned. Telemachus briefly lost control and popped up to the surface for a moment. But it didn't matter. Just 92 seconds after the torpedoes were fired, one of them hit the back of the I-166.

The Japanese submarine sank very quickly. Eighty-eight Japanese sailors died. The commander, Lt. Suwa, and his navigating officer were thrown into the water. Seven hours later, some local fishermen from Malaya rescued them.

After the sinking, the Japanese tried to find and sink Telemachus. But they were not successful. Telemachus returned safely to Colombo.

Commander King was later given a special award called the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). He received it on January 16, 1945. The award was "For outstanding courage, skill and determination in one of H.M. Submarines in successful patrols in Far Eastern waters." This specifically recognized his role in sinking the I-166.