The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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| Previous: D Class, Japanese Midget Submarines | Table of Contents | Next: D1A "Susie", Japanese Carrier Dive Bomber |
National Archives #80-G-339860. I-369 is visible behind RO-58.
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Tonnage |
1440 tons standard 1779 tons surfaced 2215 tons submerged |
|
Dimensions |
239'6" by 29'2" by 15'7" |
|
Maximum speed |
13 knots surfaced |
| Dive | to 250 feet to 75 meters |
|
Complement |
75 crew |
|
Armament |
1 5.5"/40
gun 2 25mm/60 AA guns |
| Machinery |
2-shaft diesel (1850 bhp) or
electric (1200 shp) |
|
Range |
15,000 nautical miles (28,000km) at 10 knots surfaced |
| Passengers |
110 troops |
| Cargo | 82 tons |
| Modifications | In 1944-45, I-361, I-363, and I-366 through I-370 were converted to Kaiten carriers (capable of carrying five Kaiten apiece) after removing the 5.5" gun. |
The D1s were
transport
submarines (Tei-gata)
equipped with a pair of modified 13m Daihatsu landing
boats, four rubber dinghies, and two electric cargo cranes. They
were originally
equipped with bow torpedo tubes,
but these were removed and the bow lengthened to reduce the
bow wave (which made the boats handle poorly) and the conning towers
were remodeled to reduce the radar
signature. The Daihatsu were modified to withstand sea pressure at the designed dive depth.
An additional 92 units were planned, but were never laid down due to the shortage of steel and a shift in priorities to convoy escort vessels.
A number of the boats were converted to Kaiten carriers in late 1944. However,
because of their poor speed and dive depth, they proved highly
vulnerable on combat missions. Three of the boats lost in four dayswhile attempting to contest the Iwo Jima invasion.
| I-362 | Completed 1944-5-23 (Mitsubishi-Kobe) | Sunk 1945-1-13 off Truk by Fleming |
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Completed 1944-5-25 (Kure) |
Sunk 1945-5-30 off Okinawa
by aircraft from Anzio |
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| I-364 | Completed 1944-6-14 (Mitsubishi-Kobe) | Torpedoed 1944-9-15 off Yokosuka by Sea Devil |
| I-363 | Completed 1944-7-8 (Kure) | |
| I-365 | Completed 1944-8-1 (Yokosuka) | Torpedoed 1944-11-28 off Yokosuka by Scabbardfish |
| I-366 | Completed 1944-8-3 (Mitsubishi-Kobe) | |
| I-367 | Completed 1944-8-15 (Mitsubishi-Kobe) | |
| I-368 | Completed 1944-8-25 (Yokosuka) | Sunk 1945-2-27 off Iwo Jima by aircraft from Anzio |
| I-370 | Completed 1944-9-4 (Mitsubishi-Kobe) | Sunk 1945-2-26 off Iwo Jima by Finnegan |
| I-371 | Completed 1944-10-2 (Mitsubishi-Kobe) | Torpedoed 1945-2-24 off Bungo Suido by Lagarto |
| I-372 | Completed 1944-11-8 (Yokosuka) | Sunk 1945-7-18 at Yokosuka by aircraft |
| I-369 | Completed 1944-10-9 (Yokosuka) |
References
Jentschura, Jung, and Mickel (1977)
Materials of
IJN (accessed 2010-1-8)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2010-2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
