WWII Japanese submarine aircraft carrier
Posted by admin | Posted in Submarines, WWII | Posted on 20-09-2010
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How the Japan used this secret weapon to attack the continental territory of United States.
The idea of using aircraft for observation on board a submarine was not uncommon during the WWII aircraft carrier but use submarines as an offensive weapon was. The Imperial Japanese Navy had planned extensively for such operations, building about 40 of these submersible six different classes, although they were little used. The most dramatic of these transactions occurred on the morning of September 9, 1942, the first of only two confirmed air strikes to the continental United States throughout the conflict. The Japanese submarine I-25, 2,500 tons, has emerged west of Cape Blanco on the Oregon coast and launched a small seaplane Yokosuka E14Y1, piloted by Nobuo Fujita, whose mission was to cause a fire in the dense forests of the region throwing firebombs on Mount Emily. Unfortunately for Fujita, it was raining a lot to dampen the vegetation and prevent the spread of fire. He then returned to the submarine without further incident, but later the I-25 would be the target of an attack by the USAAF bombers managed to escape to on September 29, Fujita launch a second mission.
No serious damage was caused in two air strikes, but the I-25 could sink, with its torpedoes, two tankers that crossed his path before returning to its base. In 1942 the Imperial Navy began construction of the submarine I-400 Sen Toku class, and until then the largest submersible ever built, far larger than their American counterparts, or any conventional submarine postwar, losing in size only to the first submarine nuclear. With displacement of 5,200 tons, measuring 122 meters, each I-400 could carry three aircraft Aichi M6A1 model, specially designed to attack targets of high strategic importance as the Panama Canal and the West Coast of the United States. With a crew
of 145 men, capable of reaching speeds of up to 18 knots, had a range of more than 37,000 nautical miles (69,000 kilometers), enough to turn around around the planet. Were equipped with eight torpedo tubes, one 140 mm cannon on the deck and several anti-aircraft guns of 25 mm. The intention was to build twelve Japanese warships of this class, but only three were commissioned I-400, I-401 and I-402, the latter having been converted to submarine refueling fuel. Aichi M6A1 aircraft were designed to be folded and packed in a small cylindrical hangar 38 meters, located at the stern of the submarine. Planes were compact, high-performance single-engine aircraft and prepared to carry torpedoes as their primary offensive weapon. Theoretically, each aircraft could be removed from the hangar and be prepared to take off in less than 10 minutes.
Aircraft on the deck of the Japanese aircraft carrier submarine I-400 In late 1944, I-400 and I-401 submarine with two smaller aircraft carrier, formed a task force under the command of Captain Tatsunosuke Ariizumi, with the mission to plan and execute attacks on the Panama Canal and a series of attacks with biological weapons (developed and tested by the famous Unit 731) to the largest population centers in the U.S. West
Coast. The operation involving biological weapons, codenamed “Cherry Blossoms at Night,” was canceled in 1945 due to fear of the Japanese High Command that such action would provoke retaliation from the Americans that Japan could not possibly bear. However, the attack on the Panama Canal was authorized. In fact a replica of the locks of the Canal in scale, was built in the Bay of Toyama for the pilots could practice launching the torpedoes. On July 23, 1945 the I-400 and I-401 left its base in separate routes to meet in three weeks after a meeting in mid-ocean, to coordinate the air attack. During this period, while the huge undersea maintained their predetermined routes, Dramatic events were taking place.

After two attacks with U.S. nuclear bombs on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August, the Emperor Hirohito in radio address on August 15, ordered all Japanese forces to surrender and put down their weapons. The commanders of the I-400 and I-401 still considered to continue the mission, but finally obey the orders of the Emperor. All aircraft and torpedoes were thrown overboard and documents relating to the mission were destroyed. When they returned home were intercepted by U.S. Navy east of Honshu. This action was an interesting historical fact: the American commander who took over a captured Japanese submarine was John S. McCain Jr., who would later father of the future naval aviator, an Arizona senator and candidate for U.S. president in the 2000 election, John S. McCain III. The I-400 and I-401 with American crew were taken to the naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, where they would be thoroughly analyzed by engineers of the U.S. Navy and later sunk in deep water in 1946. Interestingly, during the crossing, were found inside the submarine an enormous quantity of rats and insects, which were promptly exterminated, but until now not known if these vermin were used as guinea pigs to test biological agents.



U-boat type XXI – was a revolutionary German submarine from World War II.


