the 6th Fleet and ordered all but six of the submarines to withdraw from the Marianas. was among the six ordered to remain. On 24 June 1944, the Combined Fleet ordered Owada to evacuate Takagi and his staff from their headquarters on the eastern coast of Saipan. was operating east of Saipan at the time, so Owada ordered her to conduct the evacuation. At 12:00 Japan Standard Time on 28 June 1944, reported that she was northeast of Saipan and had not found it possible to break through the cordon of American ships off Saipan to reach Takagi and his staff. The Japanese never heard from her again, and on 2 July 1944 declared her to be presumed lost off Saipan with all 103 hands. Loss In fact, I-10 had not yet been lost on 2 July, but she did not survive much longer. At 17:02 on 4 July 1944, U.S. Navy Task Group 50.17, with six tankers and the escort carrier , was refueling at sea northeast of Saipan when the destroyer escort gained sound contact on a submerged submarine bearing 250 degrees at a range of . While the task group made an emergency turn to port, Riddle quickly dropped five depth charges. Riddle then began an approach for another attack but the submarine turned into the wakes of the ships of the retiring task group, and Riddle lost contact in the turbulence. After 18 minutes, Riddle regained contact at a range of . She fired three patterns of Hedgehog projectiles, but the submarine dived deeper and maneuvered aggressively, avoiding the projectiles. At 18:12, Riddle made another attack with a full pattern of depth charges set to explode deep, but without result. Riddle passed the estimated range, bearing, and course of the submarine to the destroyer , which established contact on the submarine at 18:22. David W. Taylor dropped 11 depth charges set to explode at medium depth. Riddle was about to begin another attack when a heavy underwater explosion occurred directly ahead of her at 18:28. Neither ship obtained any more contacts, and by sunset oil and debris had reached the surface at . It marked the demise of I-10. On 5 July 1944, an oil slick extended downwind from the point of attack. The Japanese removed I-10 from the Navy list on 10 October 1944. Notes References Type A1 submarines 1939 ships World War II submarines