Japanese Submarine I-29 - First Exchange

First Exchange

In April 1943, I-29 was tasked with a Yanagi mission. She was commanded by Captain Masao Teraoka, submarine flotilla commander — indicating the importance of the trip. She left Penang with a cargo that included two tons of gold. She met Fregattenkapitän Werner Musenberg's Type IXD-1 U-boat, U-180 on 26 April 1943 off the coast of Mozambique.

During this meeting that lasted over 12 hours due to bad weather, the two Axis submarines swapped several important passengers. U-180 transferred Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, a leader of the Indian Independence Movement who was going from Berlin to Tokyo, and his Adjutant, Abid Hasan. I-29 in turn transferred two Japanese Navy personnel who were to study U-boat building techniques in Germany: Commander (later posthumously promoted to Rear Admiral) Emi Tetsushiro, and Lieutenant Commander (later posthumously promoted to Captain) Tomonaga Hideo (who was later connected with the German submarine U-234). Both submarines returned safely to their bases. I-29 landed her important passengers at Sabang harbour on an isolated We island located to the north of Sumatra on 6 May 1943, instead of Penang, to avoid detection by British spies.