IJN Submarines All Classes

[Brian James]

Kaidai Class Cruiser Submarine, KD3A Subclass I-58 pictured on sea trials off Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on November 14th 1927..Re-named I-158 on May 20th 1942, she supported Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya in December 1941 and was instrumental in tracking Force Z, the two British capital ships that attempted to intercept the Japanese invasion forces, so they could be sunk by torpedo bombers. The boat sank a few Dutch merchant ships in early 1942 during the Dutch East Indies campaign and was then was transferred to the Central Pacific in May to support the fleet during the Battle of Midway in early June. Upon her return to Japan the following month, she became a Training Ship until early 1945 when she was modified to serve as a Carrier for Kaiten manned torpedoes. I-158 survived the war to be scuttled in 1946.

[Brian James]

Kaichū-Type, Kaichū III Subclass Submarine No 38 (Re-named Ro-20 on November 1st 1925), pictured on sea trials off Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on November 17th 1921. Upon commissioning, Submarine No. 38 was attached to the Yokosuka Naval District, to which she remained attached throughout her career. On February 6th 1922, she was assigned to Submarine Division 5 and to the Ominato Defense Division. On November 1st 1925, Submarine Division 5 was reassigned to the Yokosuka Defense Division, then directly to the Yokosuka Naval District on December 1st 1926. Ro-20 was stricken from the Navy list on April 1st 1934. Her engines were removed at Uraga Shipyard, and on July 6th 1935 she was sold to the Fisheries Association of Miura District in Kanagawa Prefecture for use as an artificial reef. She subsequently was scuttled to serve as a breeding ground for fish and fishing reef.

[Brian James]

Kaidai Class, KD3B Sub-Class Submarine I-59 (re-named I-159 May 20th 1942), pictured on sea trials off Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on November 25th 1929..She was laid down on March 5th 1927 at Yokosuka Navy Yard and commissioned in March 1930.. On March 1st 1942 she torpedoed the Dutch Royal Packet Navigation Co steamer SS Rooseboom carrying troops and civilians fleeing Padang en route to Colombo(the aftermath of the loss of Singapore). IJN I-159 surrendered to allied forces in September 1945 and transferred to Sasebo after. Decommissioned on November 30th 1945 and stripped of all equipment. She was towed by USS Nereus and sunk as a target off the Gotō Islands on April 1st 1946.

[Brian James]

Launch day for Kaichū-Type, Kaichū I Subclass Submarine No 20 (re-named Ro-12 on November 1st 1924), at Kure Naval Arsenal on December 1st 1917..She and her sister ship Ro-11 were the first Submarines built to a fully Japanese design. She was commissioned in 1919 and operated in the waters of Japan. She was stricken in 1932.

[Brian James]

Kaidai Class Cruiser Submarine of the KD6 Sub-Class, I-71 (renamed I-171 on May 20th 1942), pictured on commissioning day, off Kobe Naval Arsenal, December 24th 1935..On February 1st 1944, the USN Destroyers USS Guest and USS Hudson detected I-171 on the surface on radar 15 nautical miles west of Buka Island at a range of 3,500 yards. I-171 submerged, but the two Destroyers gained sonar contact on her and both depth charged her, sinking her with the loss of all 91 men on board.

[Brian James]

Type B Cruiser Submarine I-44 pictured on completion at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on January 19th 1944....She served in the late stages of World War II, she conducted war patrols in the Pacific Ocean as a conventional Submarine before she was converted into a Kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier. She then conducted Kaiten operations during the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa before she was sunk in April 1945. On April 29th 1945, a TBM Avenger of U.S. Navy Composite Squadron 92 (VC-92) took off from Casablanca Class Escort Carrier USS Tulagi, 220 nautical miles southeast of Okinawa at 14:18. During the flight, the Avenger's crew sighted a Japanese Submarine on the surface and dived on it from an altitude of 4,000 feet. As the Submarine crash-dived, the plane dropped a depth charge that exploded adjacent to the Submarine's conning tower. On its next pass, the Avenger dropped a Mark 24 "Fido" acoustic homing torpedo which exploded against the Submarine's hull, sinking it...The Submarine was highly likely I-44. On May 2nd 1945, the IJN declared I-44 to be presumed lost in the Okinawa area with the loss of all 134 men aboard — 130 crewmen and four embarked Kaiten pilots.

[Brian James]

Type B, B1 Sub Class Cruiser Submarine I-31 pictured a day prior to her launch on Slipway No 3 at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on March 12th 1941...Sister I-36 is under construction alongside... On may 12th 1943, near Holtz Bay, Attu, I-31's periscope was sighted by American Destroyers, Edwards and Frazier, who immediately opened fire. I-31 dove quickly but not before Edwards scored hits. The Destroyers quickly made sonar contact and began a series of depth charge attacks until, after surviving for 10 hours, she was sunk by Frazier on May 13th...I-36 was the only Submarine of her Class to survive the war, she surrendered to the Allies in September 1945 after the end of the war and was scuttled by the USN in 1946.

[Brian James]

Launch day for Kaidai Class, KD3B Sub-Class Cruiser Submarine 1-56 at Kure Naval Arsenal on March 23rd 1928. Sister I-57 is pictured under construction on the stocks to the left, both Submarines would survive the War and be scuttled on April 1st 1946.

[designeraccd]

Very NICE shots of the IJN subs Brian! Here is I-15 at sea in 1940. Note the stream lined hanger and catapult.

Also a colorized shot of the I-26. DFO

[Brian James]

Ha-1 Class Submarine Ha-5 pictured under construction at Kure Naval Arsenal on March 27th 1911.