World War II : Japanese Super Sub (I-400) - The Largest Submarine in World War II
The I-400 subs were the largest ever built until the Ethan Allen-class of nuclear subs in 1961. The I-400 subs not only could travel one and a half times around the world without refueling, they carried three Aichi M6A1 attack planes, which they launched off their bow when surfaced, effectively making them underwater aircraft carriers.
The I-400 class subs were unwieldy and relatively difficult to maneuver while surfaced owing to their small rudders.[The large superstructure also caused the sub to veer off course during any strong wind.[19] The maximum safe diving depth of the I-400 class submarine was only 82% of its overall length, which presented problems if the submarine was dived at too steep an angle in an emergency.Because of their large aircraft hangars and conning tower, all I-400 class boats had significant radar signatures on the surface, and could be detected by aircraft relatively easily. Dive time was 56 seconds, nearly double that of U.S. fleet subs, which made the boats easier to destroy from the air when caught on the surface.[19]
When submerged and traveling at a slow speed of two knots, the offset superstructure forced the helmsman to steer seven degrees starboard in order to steer a straight course.When conducting a torpedo attack the captain had to take into account his larger turning circle to starboard than to port, again because of the offset design.Like other Japanese submarines, crew members in Japanese subs had no air conditioning to control temperatures in tropic waters and no flush toilets. Lack of cold storage and inadequate sleeping quarters greatly limited the crew's diet and forced some of the crew to sleep on the decks or in passageways.
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