Japanese submarine I-5

The Japanese submarine I-5 was the sole Junsen 1 Mod. (巡潜一型改) class aircraft-carrying submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). Launched on 19 June 1931, I-5 was the first Japanese submarine to operate an aircraft, mounting a single Yokosuka E6Y floatplane. The aeroplane required assembly before use, which meant deployment was slow, even when a catapult was fitted in 1933, so the aircraft was removed in 1940 when more capable vessels became available.

I-5 at sea in 1932
History
Empire of Japan
Name: I-5
Builder: Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Kobe
Laid down: 30 October 1929
Launched: 19 June 1931
Completed: 31 July 1932
Struck: 10 September 1944
Fate: Believed sunk 19 July 1944
General characteristics
Class and type: Junsen I Mod.
Displacement:
  • 2,968 t (2,921 long tons) (surfaced)
  • 2,279 t (2,243 long tons) (submerged)
Length: 97.5 m (319 ft 11 in)
Beam: 9.22 m (30 ft 3 in)
Draft: 4.94 m (16 ft 2 in)
Installed power:
  • 6,000 bhp (4,500 kW) (diesels)
  • 2,600 hp (1,900 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 18.8 knots (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph) surfaced
  • 8.1 knots (15.0 km/h; 9.3 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 24,000 nmi (44,000 km; 28,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged
Test depth: 80 m (260 ft)
Complement: 93
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 × Yokosuka E6Y floatplane

I-5 served in the Second Sino-Japanese War as part of the Third Fleet patrolling the coasts of China, a role that the submarine reprised off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. After supporting some of the key Japanese victories in the early stages of World War 2, the submarine was re-equipped as a supply transport for the distant Japanese garrisons from March 1943. I-5 went missing in 1944 and is believed to have been sunk by US Navy destroyer escort USS Wyman near the Mariana Islands with no survivors on 19 July 1944.

Design and description

Development

During the period following World War I, the Imperial Japanese Navy saw the potential of aircraft carrying submarines, with investigations noted as early as 1924, when an American report stating, "special investigations are now in place at the Oppama (Yokosuka) Aviation Corps about airplane carrying submarines".[1] These concepts culminated in a requirement for a submarine larger than existing cruiser submarines and capable of launching a single reconnaissance floatplane. In response, the Junsen 1 Mod. was developed based on the Junsen 1 (巡潜一型).[2]

Design

The submarine was similar in dimensions to the predecessors but had a larger displacement, 2,279 tonnes (2,243 long tons) surfaced and 2,968 tonnes (2,921 long tons).[3] Length was 97.5 m (319 ft 11 in), beam 9.22 m (30 ft 3 in) and draught 4.94 m (16 ft 2 in). Power was provided by two 3,000 shp (2,237 kW) diesel engines which drove two shafts when running on the surface up to a maximum speed of 18.8 knots (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph).[4] These also charged the batteries that powered the vessel underwater. When submerged, power was provided by electric motors that provided 2,600 shp (1,939 kW) and enabled a maximum speed of 8.1 knots (15.0 km/h; 9.3 mph).[5] 580 long tons (589 t) of oil was carried which gave an endurance of 24,000 nautical miles (44,000 km; 28,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) on the surface. Submerged, the boat could travel for 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). The submarine had a diving depth of 80 m (260 ft). A complement of 93 was carried.[2] The submarine's large size meant that it could operate as a flagship.[6]

Armament

Main armament was similar on the Junsen 1-gata, consisting of six internal 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes, all in the bow.[5] Twenty torpedoes could be carried. When the boat entered service, the standard Japanese torpedo was the Type 89, which entered service in 1931.[7] The Type 89 was a formidable weapon that delivered a warhead of 300 kg (660 lb) over a range of 5,500 metres (18,045 ft) at 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph). It remained in service until the early days of World War II when it was replaced by the Type 95, which was even more potent, being capable of propelling 405 kg (893 lb) of explosives over a range of 12,000 metres (39,370 ft) at up to 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph).[8]

The deck was fitted with two 14 cm (5.5 in) 40 calibre 11th Year Type gun, which could fire a 38 kg (84 lb) shell 1,600 metres (5,249 ft) at a rate of five rounds per minute.[9] The guns were fitted one fore and the aft of the conning tower. The aft mount was removed in 1933 to allow for the installation of a catapult.[10] For anti-aircraft defence, a single 7.7 mm (0.30 in) machine gun was mounted on the conning tower.[11]

A single Yokosuka E6Y observation floatplane was carried disassembled in two watertight and retractable containers aft of the conning tower, one each port and starboard.[6] The wings were stored in one container, the fuselage and floats in the other.[12] To operate the aircraft, the submarine was required to stop, the containers deployed, the components assembled and the seaplane launched into the sea to take-off. During training, this proved a lengthy exercise during which the submarine was vulnerable to attack. Later, the deck was fitted with a catapult to increase the range of the aircraft and reduce the time of exposure, but this extended the time for launch as the assembled aircraft had to be mounted on the catapult.[1]

Construction and career

Construction and early service

I-5 was laid down on 30 October 1929 at Kawasaki Dockyard Co. in Kobe, launched on 19 June 1931, and commissioned on 31 July 1932.[10] The vessel entered service and was attached to Yokosuka Naval District, undergoing training and trials until 1933 when a catapult was fitted during refit. Similarly, between February and July 1936, the remaining deck gun was replaced with a 12.7 cm (5 in) Type 89 dual purpose gun. [11] At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the submarine was attached to the Third Fleet (China Theatre Fleet) based at Hong Kong alongside Komahashi and a fleet of cruiser submarines. The fleet was tasked with patrolling and blockading the central and southern Chinese coasts.[13]

Following the commissioning of more modern submarine aircraft carriers, the Type A and Type B, the more primitive installation on I-5 was deemed superfluous and in 1940 the provision to operate an aircraft was removed snd the aft deck gun replaced.[13] A 25 mm (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft gun was fitted to an extended bridge at the same time.[12]

World War 2

In November 1941, the submarine departed as part of the 2nd Submarine Squadron led by I-6, and, on 3 December 1941, I-5 arrived in Hawaii to take up a patrol position west of Oahu.[14] On 7 December, the submarine moved to patrol north of Molokai, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor.[15] The boat was tasked with attacking any ships that attempted to escape.[16] After the attack, I-5 remained in the area, patrolling the Kauai Channel with I-4, and continued to stay on station in Pacific into the following year.[17] On 9 January 1942, the submarine hunted for Saratoga along with the 3rd Submarine Flotilla.[18]

After a refit in Yokosuka between 2 and 11 February, the submarine then departed to support the Dutch East Indies campaign, arriving at Staring-baai in Sulawesi on 23 February.[19] On 25 February, while patrolling off the coast of Timor, a flight of nine Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters attacked the submarine, thinking it was an enemy vessel, inflicting minor damage.[20] After repairs, the submarine was sent to the Indian Ocean to disrupt shipping and support the Indian Ocean raid.[21] After a series of successes, including sinking the American cargo ship Washingtonian on 5 April, the vessel left for Singapore on 21 April.[22][23] On 10 June, I-5 joined the Northern Force in support of the Aleutian Islands campaign.[24]

An increasingly challenging logistical situation, meant that by 1943, Japan had a great need of supply transports, and I-5 was reassigned to be a submarine transport. On 17 March, a Daihatsu-class landing craft was fitted.[25] Nine days after, the submarine started the first of nine supply runs between Lai and Rabaul. Later, the submarine was relocated to supply the garrison in the Aleutian Islands.[26] The submarine continued to operate a vital service, transferring supplies and people.[27]

In June 1944, the Japanese became aware that their forces in the Mariana Islands would be subject to attack and formed a submarine picket, including I-5, 300 nautical miles (560 km) east of the Islands.[28] On 19 July, the US Navy destroyer escort Wyman identified a sonar contact and 360 nautical miles (670 km) east of Guam.[10] Hedgehog bombs were fired and a destroyed submarine reported. The submarine is believed to be I-5.[29][27] There were no survivors. The submarine was removed from the Navy List on 10 September 1944.[12]

References

Citations
  1. Boyd & Yoshida 2002, p. 21.
  2. Bagnasco 1977, p. 181.
  3. Boyd & Yoshida 2002, p. 22.
  4. Hashimoto 1954, p. 142.
  5. Carpenter & Polmar 1986, p. 91.
  6. Stille 2007, p. 12.
  7. Campbell 1985, p. 204.
  8. Campbell 1985, p. 208.
  9. Campbell 1985, p. 190.
  10. Carpenter & Polmar 1986, p. 95.
  11. Chesneau 2001, p. 199.
  12. Bagnasco 1977, p. 182.
  13. Boyd & Yoshida 2002, p. 54.
  14. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2013, p. 113.
  15. Goldstein & Dillon 2004, p. 235.
  16. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2013, p. 114.
  17. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2013, p. 120.
  18. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2013, p. 251.
  19. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2013, p. 363.
  20. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2013, p. 368.
  21. Goldstein & Dillon 2004, p. 255.
  22. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2014, p. 51.
  23. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2014, p. 71.
  24. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2014, p. 299.
  25. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2012, p. 151.
  26. Bertke, Kindell & Smith 2012, p. 239.
  27. Boyd & Yoshida 2002, p. 209.
  28. Carpenter & Polmar 1986, p. 48.
  29. Silverstone 2008, p. 93.

Bibliography
  • Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-85368-331-5.
  • Bertke, Donald A.; Kindell, Don & Smith, Gordon (2012). World War II Sea War, Vol 9: Wolfpacks Muzzled. Dayton: Bertke Publications. ISBN 978-1-93747-016-6.
  • Bertke, Donald A.; Kindell, Don & Smith, Gordon (2013). World War II Sea War, Vol 5: Air Raid Pearl Harbor. This Is Not a Drill. Dayton: Bertke Publications. ISBN 978-1-93747-005-0.
  • Bertke, Donald A.; Kindell, Don & Smith, Gordon (2014). World War II Sea War, Vol 6: The Allies Halt the Axis Advance. Dayton: Bertke Publications. ISBN 978-1-93747-009-8.
  • Boyd, Carl; Yoshida, Akihiko (2002). The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-015-1.
  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-329-2.
  • Carpenter, Dorr B. & Polmar, Norman (1986). Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1904–1945. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-396-4.
  • Chesneau, Roger, ed. (2001). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-146-5.
  • Goldstein, Donald M.; Dillon, Katherine V. (2004). The Pacific War Papers: Japanese Documents of World War II. Washington: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-57488-632-0.
  • Hashimoto, Mochitsura (1954). Sunk; The Story of the Japanese Submarine Fleet, 1941-1945. London: Cassell. OCLC 62412615.
  • Silverstone, Paul (2008). The Navy of World War II, 1922-1947. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-41597-898-9.
  • Stille, Mark (2007). Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941–45. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84603-090-1.
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