I-200 class submarine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Senkou I-202 at high surface speed |
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ships: | I-201, I-202, I-203 incomplete hulls: I-204, I-205, I-206, I-207, I-208 |
| Completed: | 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 1945 |
| Fate: | Scuttled by the US Navy (1946) |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,291 tons surfaced / 1,450 tons submerged |
| Dimensions: | 259 ft x 19 ft (6 m) x 18 ft |
| Surface propulsion: | 2 diesels: 2,750 hp |
| Submerged propulsion: | 2 electric motors: 5,000 hp |
| Surface speed: | 15.75 knots |
| Submerged speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Maximum depth: | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Range: | 5,800 nmi (10,740 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 31 officers and men |
| Armament: | 4 x 533 mm TT fwd (10 torpedoes) 2 x 25 mm mg |
The I-200-class submarines were submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. These submarines were modern design, and known as Senkou (Japanese: 潜高, from Sen, abbreviation of 潜水艦, Sensuikan, "Submarine", and kou, abbreviation of 高速, Kousoku, "High speed"). Three boats, numbered I-201, I-202 and I-203, were completed. I-204 to I-208 were incomplete at the end of the war.
The I-200 class bore little resemblance to earlier I-boats, which were optimized for long range and high surfaced speed. By contrast, the I-200 emphasized submerged performance. It featured powerful electric motors, streamlined all-welded hulls, and a large capacity battery consisting of 4,192 cells. The maximum underwater speed of 19 knots (35 km/h) was double that of contemporary American designs. The I-200 class was also equipped with a crude snorkel, allowing underwater diesel operation while recharging batteries.
The I-200 displaced 1,291 tons surfaced and 1,451 tons submerged. It had a test depth of 360 feet (110 m). Armament consisted of four torpedo tubes and 10 torpedoes. The two 25 mm anti-aircraft guns were housed in retractable mounts to maintain streamlining. The submarine was designed for mass production, with large sections prefabricated in factories and transported to the slip for final assembly.
Twenty-three units were ordered from the Kure Navy Yard under the 1943 construction program. Due to the deteriorating war situation, only eight boats were laid down, and only three were completed before the end of the war. None of them saw operational use.
Two submarines, I-201 and I-203, were seized and inspected by the US Navy at the end of the hostilities. They were part of a group of four captured submarines, including the giant I-400 and I-401, which were sailed to Hawaii by US Navy technicians for further inspection.
On March 26, 1946, the US Navy decided to scuttle all captured Japanese submarines.
On April 5, 1946, I-202 was scuttled in Japanese waters. On May 21, 1946, I-203 was torpedoed and sunk by USS Caiman off the Hawaiian Islands. On May 23, 1946, I-201 was torpedoed and sunk by USS Queenfish.
[edit] In fiction
A refurbished I-203 is used by the characters in the movie Hell and High Water (1954).
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