''Ro-28'', originally named ''Submarine No. 46'', was an Imperial Japanese Navy ''Kaichū''-Type

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

of the ''Kaichū'' IV subclass. She was in commission from 1923 to 1938 and from 1939 to 1940.

Design and description

The submarines of the ''Kaichu'' IV sub-class were an improved version of the preceding ''Kaichu'' III subclass, slightly larger, with heavier torpedoes, and with the deck gun mounted forward of the

conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...

instead of aft of it.Gray, Randal, ed., ''Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1906–1921'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985, , p. 247. They displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long and had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a draft of . They had a diving depth of . For surface running, the submarines were powered by two Sulzer Mark II diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, they had a range of at ; submerged, they had a range of at . The submarines were armed with four internal bow torpedo tubes and carried a total of eight torpedoes. They were also armed with a single deck gun.

Construction and commissioning

''Ro-28'' was laid down as ''Submarine No. 62'' on 10 November 1921 by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal at Yokosuka,

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. Launched on 13 April 1922, she was completed and commissioned on 30 November 1923.

Service history

Upon commissioning, ''Submarine No. 62'' was attached to the Kure Naval District, and on 15 December 1923 she was assigned to Submarine Division 14 and the Kure Defense Division. On 20 August 1924, Submarine Division 14 was assigned to Submarine

Squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

2 in the 2nd Fleet. On 14 June 1924, ''Submarine No. 62'' collided with the

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

while conducting a practice attack.''Airship Investigation: Report of Col. Henry Breckenridge'', Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1933, p. 56.
/ref> On 1 November 1924, ''Submarine No. 62'' was renamed ''Ro-28''. Submarine Division 14 was reassigned to the Kure Naval District on 1 August 1925, and on 18 August 1925 began duty with the Kure Defense Division. This lasted until 1 December 1925, when the division returned to Submarine Squadron 2 in the 2nd Fleet. On 6 April 1926, ''Ro-28'' collided with her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

. Neither submarine suffered casualties. On 1 December 1926, Submarine Division 14 was reassigned to the Kure Naval District. ''Ro-28'' was assigned directly to the Kure Naval District on 15 January 1927, returned to Submarine Division 14 on 1 September 1927, and had duty in the Kure Defense Division from 10 December 1928 to 30 November 1929, when she again was assigned directly to the Kure Naval District. ''Ro-28'' again returned to Submarine Division 14 on 1 December 1931, and remained in it for the remainder of her active career. In the years that followed, she served in the Kure Defense Division from 1 October 1932 to 1 February 1933 and from 1 December 1933 to 15 November 1934 and underwent a refit in 1934. She sank in an accidental flooding incident in the harbor at Wajima, Japan, in 1935, but was refloated, repaired, and returned to service. ''Ro-28'' was decommissioned on 1 December 1938 and placed in Fourth Reserve in the Kure Naval District. She was recommissioned on 1 May 1939 and assigned directly to the Kure Naval District. ''Ro-28'' was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on 1 April 1940. She served subsequently as the training

hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

''Heisan No. 8'' at the submarine school at Kure, Japan. She was sold for scrap after World War II and scrapped at Kumagaya Gumi, Japan. Scrapping was completed in May 1948.

Notes

References

*'', History of Pacific War Vol.17 I-Gō Submarines'',

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(Japan), January 1998, *''Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The submarines of the Imperial Japanese Forces"'', Gakken (Japan), March 2005, *''The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.43 Japanese Submarines III'', Ushio Shobō (Japan), September 1980, Book code 68343-44 *''The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.132 Japanese Submarines I "Revised edition"'', Ushio Shobō (Japan), February 1988, Book code 68344-36 *''The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.133 Japanese Submarines II "Revised edition"'', Ushio Shobō (Japan), March 1988, Book code 68344-37 *''The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.135 Japanese Submarines IV'', Ushio Shobō (Japan), May 1988, Book code 68344-39 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ro-028 Ro-26-class submarines Kaichū type submarines Ships built by Sasebo Naval Arsenal 1922 ships Japanese submarine accidents Maritime incidents in 1924 Maritime incidents in 1926 Maritime incidents in 1935