Mochitsura Hashimoto
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| Hashimoto Mochitsura | |
|---|---|
| 1909 – October 25, 2000 | |
| Place of birth | Kyoto |
| Place of death | Kyoto |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1929-1945 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands held | Japanese submarine I-58 |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun |
| Other work | Merchant Marine Captain, Shinto priest |
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Hashimoto.
Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto (Japanese: 橋本以行, Hashimoto Mochitsura) (1909 – October 25, 2000) was the commander of several Japanese submarines during World War II including; RO-44, I-158 and I-58. He saw action in many crucial Pacific operations. At the outbreak of World War II, Lieutenant Hashimoto was the torpedo officer on the submarine I-24. The I-24 launched the midget-sub at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which carried Kazuo Sakamaki, who became America's first POW(prisoner of war) of World War II.
Later in the war, Hashimoto was given command of the Japanese submarine I-58 which sank the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) on July 30, 1945. The sinking of the Indianapolis ultimately cost the lives of 879 of the cruiser's 1,196-man crew — the worst single at-sea loss of life in the history of the U.S. Navy. The Indianapolis was Hashimoto's first and only victory.
After the war, Hashimoto was brought by the Navy to testify in the court martial against Captain Charles McVay, commander of the Indianapolis who was convicted for "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag." At the trial, Hashimoto testified that zigzagging would not have made a difference, for he would have been able to sink the cruiser regardless.[1]. Decades later, Hashimoto sent a letter to Senator John Warner as part of an effort to exonerate McVay.
After the war, Hashimoto served as a captain in the Japanese merchant marine before being involved in a collision with a Korean ship that ended his career. Hashimoto spent the final years of his life as a Shinto priest in Kyoto, dying at the age of 91 in 2000.
[edit] Bibliography
- Dan Kurzman. Fatal Voyage, 1990.
- Mochitsura Hashimoto. Sunk: The Story of the Japanese Submarine Fleet, 1941–1945, Avon Books (pb), 1954.
