Kaiten Class, Japanese Manned Suicide Torpedoes

Naval Historical Center #NH 81489

Specifications:

The Kaiten ("Heaven Shakers") were manned torpedoes intended for suicide attack. They were based on the Model 3 Long Lance torpedo. The design was completed in the spring of 1943, but senior officers initially rejected the concept because there was no way for the pilot to escape. These attitudes changed after the loss of Saipan in June 1944.

Although a number of surface ships were modified to carry Kaiten, the only attacks actually launched were from submarines. The Kaiten was released about 7000 yards (7000 meters) from the target with its gyroscopes already set by the submarine navigator for the desired course and run time. The Kaiten ran at a depth of 20 feet (6 meters) during its initial run, then surfaced so that the pilot could pick out a target before setting course and diving to a suitable attack depth. If he missed, he was expected to surface and repeat the process. The explosive charge could be triggered either by impact or manually by the pilot.

The Kaiten had a tendency to suffer leaks into the control compartment while its mother submarine was submerged. This caused about 40 percent of the Kaiten to suffer starting explosions in their waterlogged power units.

With their high speed and large explosive charge, Kaiten were potentially quite dangerous, and one successfully attacked oiler Mississinewa in Ulithi Atoll in November 1944. A Kaiten was also responsible for the destruction of destroyer escort Underhill on 24 July 1945. Underhill made a sound contact and rammed the Kaiten, thereby accomplishing its mission for it. The forward half of the destroyer escort was obliterated in a massive explosion that killed 112 of the crew, leaving 116 survivors to be rescued by nearby ships. Some historians suspect that Indianapolis fell victim to a Kaiten rather than conventional torpedo attack, though the commander of the submarine credited with sinking Indianapolis denied it.

About 1375 crew were assigned to Kaiten, but a shortage of the craft meant that only 150 sailors completed the training course, with fifteen deaths during training.

There was a third type, Type 3, which generally resembled Type 2.

References

Campbell (1985)
Frank (1999)
Hastings (2007)

Jentschura, Jung, and Mickel (1977)

The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007-2009 by Kent G. Budge. Index

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