Type B submarine
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Type-B submarines |
| Builders | |
| Operators |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by | Junsen type submarine |
| Subclasses |
|
| Built | 1938-1944 |
| In commission | 1940-1945 |
The Cruiser submarine Type-B (巡潜乙型潜水艦, Junsen Otsu-gata sensuikan) was a class of submarine in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) which served during World War II. The Type-B submarines were similar to the Type-A apart from not having the headquarters installation.
Class variants
The Type-B submarines were divided into four classes:
- Type-B (乙型（伊十五型）, Otsu-gata, I-15-class)
- Type-B Mod.1 (乙型改一（伊四十型）, Otsu-gata Kai-1, I-40-class)
- Type-B Mod.2 (乙型改二（伊五十四型）, Otsu-gata Kai-2, I-54-class)
- V22A Type (第5115号艦型, Dai-5115-Gō kan-gata, 5115th vessel-class). The 5115th vessel-class submarines were not built and remained a design only.
Type-B (I-15 class)
Project number S37. Twenty boats were built between 1937 and 1944 under the Maru 3 Programme (Boats 37 - 42) and Maru 4 Programme (Boats 139 - 152).
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| 37 | I-15 [1] | Kure Naval Arsenal | 25-01-1938 | 07-03-1939 | 30-09-1940 | Probably lost in an accident or sunk by enemy attack near Guadalcanal, after 03-11-1942 |
| 38 | I-17 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 25-08-1937 | 12-11-1938 | 31-01-1941 | Sunk by HMNZS Tui and maritime patrol aircraft at Nouméa 23°26′S 166°54′E / 23.433°S 166.900°E on 19-08-1943 |
| 39 | I-19 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 15-03-1938 | 16-09-1939 | 28-04-1941 | Sunk by USS Radford in the Gilbert Islands on 25-11-1943 |
| 40 | I-21 | Kawasaki, Kōbe Shipyard | 07-01-1939 | 24-02-1940 | 15-07-1941 | Probably lost in an accident or sunk by enemy attack near Tarawa, after 27-11-1943 |
| 41 | I-23 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 08-12-1938 | 24-11-1939 | 27-09-1941 | Probably lost in an accident or sunk by enemy attack near the Hawaiian Islands, after 14-02-1942 |
| 42 | I-25 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 03-02-1939 | 08-06-1940 | 15-10-1941 | Probably lost in an accident or sunk by enemy attack near Espiritu Santo, after 23-08-1943 |
| 43 | The dummy for the naval budget of the Template:Sclass-. | |||||
| 139 | I-26 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 07-06-1939 | 10-04-1940 | 06-11-1941 | Probably lost in an accident or sunk by enemy attack east of the Philippines, after 27-10-1944 |
| 140 | I-27 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 05-07-1939 | 06-06-1940 | 24-02-1942 | Sunk by HMS Paladin and HMS Petard in the Maldives at 00°57′N 72°16′E / 0.950°N 72.267°E on 12-02-1944 |
| 141 | I-28 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 25-09-1939 | 17-12-1940 | 06-02-1942 | Sunk by USS Tautog north of Rabaul at 06°30′N 152°00′E / 6.500°N 152.000°E on 17-05-1942 |
| 142 | I-29 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 20-09-1939 | 29-09-1940 | 27-02-1942 | Sunk by USS Sawfish south of Sabtang Island at 20°10′N 121°50′E / 20.167°N 121.833°E on 26-07-1944 |
| 143 | I-30 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 07-06-1939 | 17-09-1940 | 28-02-1942 | Sunk by a mine at Singapore on 13-10-1942 |
| 144 | I-31 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 06-12-1939 | 13-03-1941 | 30-05-1942 | Sunk by USS Frazier and USS Edwards at Attu Island on 13-05-1943 |
| 145 | I-32 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 20-01-1940 | 17-12-1940 | 26-04-1942 | Sunk by USS Manlove and USS PT-1135 northeast of Wotje Atoll on 24-03-1943 |
| 146 | I-33 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 01-02-1940 | 01-05-1941 | 10-06-1942 | Lost in an accident at Truk on 26-09-1942. Salvaged and repaired starting 29-12-1942. Later, lost in another accident at Iyo Nada on 13-06-1944. Salvaged and scrapped starting 28-06-1953 |
| 147 | I-34 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 09-01-1941 | 24-09-1941 | 31-08-1942 | Sunk by HMS Taurus at Penang Island on 13-11-1943 |
| 148 | I-35 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 02-09-1940 | 24-09-1941 | 31-08-1942 | Sunk by USS Meade and USS Frazier south of Tarawa on 22-11-1943 |
| 149 | I-36 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 04-12-1940 | 01-11-1941 | 30-09-1942 | Converted to the Kaiten mother ship on 01-09-1944. Decommissioned on 30-11-1945, sunk as a target off Gotō Islands on 01-04-1946 |
| 150 | I-37 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 07-12-1940 | 22-10-1941 | 10-03-1943 | Converted to the Kaiten mother ship on 09-09-1944. Sunk by USS Conklin and USS McCoy Reynolds north of Palau, on 19-11-1944 |
| 151 | I-38 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 19-06-1941 | 15-04-1942 | 31-01-1943 | Sunk by USS Nicholas east of Luzon on 12-11-1944 |
| 152 | I-39 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 19-06-1941 | 15-04-1942 | 22-04-1943 | Sunk by USS Boyd west of Makin at 03°10′N 171°55′E / 3.167°N 171.917°E on 16-11-1943 |
| 153 | The dummy for the naval budget of the Yamato-class battleships |
Type-B Mod.1 (I-40 class)
Project number S37B. Six boats were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Boats 370 - 375), all boats were completed. On the outside this class looked the same as the I-15 class; however, they were built from high-tensile strength steel and equipped with diesel engines of a simpler design.
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 370 | I-40 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 18-03-1942 | 10-11-1942 | 31-07-1943 | Probably lost in an accident, after 22-11-1943 |
| 371 | I-41 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 18-03-1942 | 10-11-1942 | 18-09-1943 | Sunk by USS Lawrence C. Taylor east of the Philippines at 12°44′N 130°42′E / 12.733°N 130.700°E on 12-11-1944 |
| 372 | I-42 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 18-03-1942 | 10-11-1942 | 03-11-1943 | Sunk by USS Tunny southwest of Palau at 06°40′N 134°03′E / 6.667°N 134.050°E on 23-03-1944 |
| 373 | I-43 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 27-04-1942 | 25-10-1942 | 05-11-1943 | Sunk by USS Aspro north of Truk at 12°42′N 149°17′E / 12.700°N 149.283°E on 15-02-1944 |
| 374 | I-44 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 11-06-1942 | 05-03-1943 | 31-01-1944 | Converted to the Kaiten mother ship on 22-10-1944. Sunk by USS Heermann, USS Uhlmann, USS Mertz, USS Collett and aircraft from USS Bataan north-northwest of Minami Daitō at 12°42′N 149°17′E / 12.700°N 149.283°E on 18-04-1945 |
| 375 | I-45 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 15-07-1942 | 06-03-1943 | 28-12-1943 | Sunk by USS Whitehurst east of the Philippines on 28-10-1944 |
Type-B Mod.2 (I-54 class)
Project number S37C. Twenty-one boats were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Boats 627 - 636) and Kai-Maru 5 Programme (Boats 5101 - 5114). Eighteen boats were cancelled in late 1943, because the IJN was setting the Type E submarine (戊型潜水艦, Bo-gata sensuikan) as 1945's main submarines.
- Boats in class
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Results | Fate |
| 627 | I-54 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 01-07-1942 | 04-05-1943 | 31-03-1944 | Damaged USS Santee on 25-10-1944 (?)[2] | (1). Sunk by USS Gridley and USS Helm east of the Philippines at 10°10′N 127°28′E / 10.167°N 127.467°E on 28-10-1944 (2). Sunk by USS Whitehurst east of the Philippines on 28-10-1944 |
| 629 | I-56 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 29-09-1942 | 30-06-1943 | 08-06-1944 | Damaged USS LST-695 on 24-10-1944 Damaged USS Santee on 25-10-1944 (?)[2] |
Converted to the Kaiten mother ship on 14-11-1944. Sunk by USS Hudson at Kumejima Island, at 26°22′N 126°30′E / 26.367°N 126.500°E on 05-04-1945 |
| 631 | I-58 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 26-12-1942 | 09-10-1943 | 07-09-1944 | Damaged USS Lowry on 28-07-1945 by Kaiten Sank USS Indianapolis on 30-07-1945 Damaged USS Thomas F. Nickel on 12-08-1945 by Kaiten (?) |
Converted to the Kaiten mother ship, before completion. Decommissioned on 30-11-1945, sunk as a target off the Gotō Islands on 01-04-1946 |
| 633 - 636 | Cancelled in 1943 | ||||||
| 5101 - 5114 |
V22A Type
Project number S49A. Eighteen boats were planned under the Kai-Maru 5 Programme (Boats 5115 - 5132). However, all boats were cancelled in late 1943, because the IJN concentrated on production of Type-E submarine (戊型潜水艦, Bo-gata sensuikan) from 1945 onwards
- Boats in class
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| 5115 - 5132 | Cancelled in 1943 |
Characteristics
| Type | Type-B (I-15) | Type-B Mod. 1 (I-40) | Type-B Mod. 2 (I-54) | V22A Type | |
| Displacement | Surfaced | 2,198 long tons (2,233 t) | 2,230 long tons (2,266 t) | 2,140 long tons (2,174 t) | 2,330 long tons (2,367 t) |
| Submerged | 3,654 long tons (3,713 t) | 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) | 3,688 long tons (3,747 t) | No data | |
| Length (overall) | 108.70 m (356 ft 8 in) | 108.70 m (356 ft 8 in) | 108.70 m (356 ft 8 in) | 106.50 m (349 ft 5 in) (waterline) | |
| Beam | 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) | 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) | 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) | 9.64 m (31 ft 8 in) | |
| Draft | 5.14 m (16 ft 10 in) | 5.20 m (17 ft 1 in) | 5.19 m (17 ft 0 in) | 5.32 m (17 ft 5 in) | |
| Depth | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) | No data | |
| Power plant and shaft | 2 × Kampon Mk. 2 Model 10 diesels 2 shafts |
2 × Kampon Mk. 1A Model 10 diesels 2 shafts |
2 × Kampon Mk. 22 Model 10 diesels 2 shafts |
2 × Kampon Mk. 2 Model 10 diesels 2 shafts | |
| Power | Surfaced | 12,400 bhp | 11,000 bhp | 4,700 bhp | 11,000 bhp |
| Submerged | 2,000 shp | 2,000 shp | 1,200 shp | 2,400 shp | |
| Speed | Surfaced | 23.6 knots (43.7 km/h) | 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h) | 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h) | 22.4 knots (41.5 km/h) |
| Submerged | 8.0 knots (14.8 km/h) | 8.0 knots (14.8 km/h) | 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h) | 8.0 knots (14.8 km/h) | |
| Range | Surfaced | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) | 21,000 nmi (39,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Submerged | 96 nmi (178 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | 96 nmi (178 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | 105 nmi (194 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | 80 nmi (150 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | |
| Test depth | 100 m (330 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | |
| Fuel | 774 tons | 814 tons | 842.8 tons | 735 tons | |
| Complement | 94 | 94 | 94 | No data | |
| Armament (initial) | • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) Torpedo tubes (6 × front) • 17 × Type 95 torpedoes • 1 × 140 mm (5.5 in) L/40 11th Year Type naval gun[3] • 2 × Type 96 25mm AA guns |
• 6 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (6 × front) • 17 × Type 95 torpedoes • 1 × 140 mm (5.5 in) L/40 11th Year Type Naval gun[3] • 2 × Type 96 25mm AA guns |
• 6 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (6 × front) • 19 × Type 95 torpedoes • 1 × 140 mm (5.5 in) L/40 11th Year Type Naval gun[3] • 2 × Type 96 25mm AA guns |
• 8 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (8 × front) • 16 × torpedoes • 1 × 14 cm/40 11th Year Type naval gun[3] • 4 × 25mm AA guns • 8 × naval mines | |
| Aircraft and facilities | • Catapult and hangar • 1 × Watanabe E9W1 Slim seaplane |
• Catapult and hangar • 1 × Yokosuka E14Y2 Glen seaplane |
• Catapult and hangar • 1 × Yokosuka E14Y2 Glen seaplane |
• Catapult and hangar • 1 × floatplane | |
Footnotes
Bibliography
- "Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Vol.17 I-Gō Submarines, Gakken (Japan), January 1998, ISBN 4-05-601767-0
- Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Vol.35 Kō-hyōteki and Kōryū, Gakken (Japan), April 2002, ISBN 4-05-602741-2
- Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Vol.36 Kairyū and Kaiten, Gakken (Japan), May 2002, ISBN 4-05-602693-9
- Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The submarines of the Imperial Japanese Forces", Gakken (Japan), March 2005, ISBN 4-05-603890-2
- Model Art Extra No.537, Drawings of Imperial Japanese Naval Vessels Part-3, Model Art Co. Ltd. (Japan), May 1999, Book code 08734-5
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.31 Japanese Submarines I, Ushio Shobō (Japan), September 1979, Book code 68343-31