Name I-159 Completed 31 March 1930 Reclassified Training ship, 1943 Launched 25 March 1929 Builder Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | Laid down 25 March 1927, as I-59 Renamed 20 May 1942, as I-159 Struck 30 November 1945 Length 101 m | |
The Japanese submarine I-159 was a Kaidai-class submarine of the KD3B sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s.
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Design and description
The submarines of the KD3B sub-class were essentially repeats of the preceding KD3A sub-class with minor modifications to improve seakeeping. They displaced 1,829 metric tons (1,800 long tons) surfaced and 2,337 metric tons (2,300 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 101 meters (331 ft 4 in) long, had a beam of 8 meters (26 ft 3 in) and a draft of 4.9 meters (16 ft 1 in). The boats had a diving depth of 60 m (200 ft)
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 3,400-brake-horsepower (2,535 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 900-horsepower (671 kW) electric motor. They could reach 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) on the surface and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) underwater. On the surface, the KD3Bs had a range of 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).
The boats were armed with eight internal 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes, six in the bow and two in the stern. They carried one reload for each tube; a total of 16 torpedoes. They were also armed with one 120 mm (4.7 in) deck gun for combat on the surface.
Construction and career
Torpedoed the Dutch steamer Rooseboom carrying troops and civilians fleeing Padang en route to Colombo in the aftermath of the loss of Singapore. Decommissioned on 30 November 1945, sunk as a target off the GotÅ Islands on 1 April 1946.