Name I-402 Commissioned 24 July 1945 Class and type I-400-class submarine Construction started October 1943 | Laid down October 1943 Fate Scuttled, 1 April 1946 Length 122 m Builder Japan | |
Displacement Surfaced 5,223 long tons (5,307 t)
Submerged 6,560 long tons (6,670 t) | ||
I-402, was one of three completed Sen Toku I-400 class submarine aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. These submarines were the largest built prior to nuclear submarine development. Each were able to carry three Aichi M6A Seiran floatplanes.
Contents
In 1942, 18 of these vessels were planned intended for attacks on the eastern seaboard of the United States and the eastern locks of the Panama Canal. However after increased shipping losses and the rising scarcity of alloys, only five were expected to be built. By 1944, only three had been completed (I-400 at Kure, I-401 and I-402 at Sasebo).
Entering service late in the war, I-402 never saw combat and was captured by the US at the end of the war.
Characteristics
I-402 was powered by four 3,000 horsepower diesel engines. The massive I-400 class submarine displaced 6,500 tons and had an overall length of 400 feet compared to the most numerous IJN submarine type, the B1 which only displaced 2,584 tons and had a length of 356 feet. The most notable characteristic of the I-402 was its ability to carry three Aichi M6A Seiran seaplane dive bombers. I-402 had a figure-eight hull shape for additional strength to handle the on-deck hangar for housing the three aircraft. The wings of the Seiran folded back, the horizontal stabilizers folded down, and the top of the vertical stabilizer folded over so the overall forward profile of the aircraft was within the diameter of its propeller. The planes were launched from a 120-foot catapult on the deck of the giant submarine. In addition, it had four anti-aircraft guns and a 14 cm 40 caliber deck gun as well as a suitable complement of twenty Type 95 torpedoes for commerce raids.
Post War Inspections
I-402and her sister ships were captured by the United States Navy after the war. They were taken to Sasebo Bay for evaluation. While there, the Soviet Union planned to send inspectors to also study the unknown vessels. To keep the technology out of the hands of the Soviets, Operation Road's End was instituted. I-402 along with twenty other submarines were filled with C-2 explosive charges and scuttled off the GotÅ Islands. In 2015, the precise location of the remains of 24 Japanese submarines, including I-402, was confirmed.
In popular culture
A "nanomaterial" copy of I-402 appears in the anime Arpeggio of Blue Steel as a sentient submarine armed with advanced technology. Its sister ships I-400 and I-401 also appear with I-401 as the protagonists' flagship.