Type A Kō-hyōteki-class Submarine
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The class was a class of
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ese
midget submarine A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched an ...
s (''Kō-hyōteki'') used during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. They had hull numbers but no names. For simplicity, they are most often referred to by the hull number of the mother submarine. Thus, the midget carried by ''I-16''-class submarine was known as I-16's boat, or "I-16tou." This class was followed by: , , and , the last one better known as .


History

Fifty were built. The "A Target" name was assigned as a ruse: if their design were prematurely discovered by Japan's foes, the Japanese Navy could insist that the vessels were battle practice targets. They were also called or and other nicknames. The first two, ''No.1'' and ''No.2'', were used only in testing. They did not have
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...
s, which were added to the later boats for stability under water. '' No.19'' was launched by at
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
. Most of the other fifty are unaccounted for, although three were captured in Sydney (Australia), and others in Guam, Guadalcanal, and Kiska Island, accounting for some of the other hull numbers. The submarines were each armed with two 450 mm (17.7 in.) torpedoes in muzzle-loading tubes one above the other at the bow. In the Pearl Harbor attack, the specially designed
Type 97 torpedo Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...
was used, with a warhead and a range of at , but problems with the oxygen flasks which held the air for propulsion meant that all later attacks used a different torpedo. Some have stated that a version of the
Type 91 torpedo The Type 91 was an aerial torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was in service from 1931 to 1945. It was used in naval battles in World War II and was specially developed for attacks on ships in shallow harbours. The Type 91 aerial torped ...
, designed for aircraft launching, was used, but other reports indicate that the Type 97 torpedo was modified to the Type 98, otherwise known as the Type 97 special. There is no definitive information that the Type 91 was used. The Type 98 was later supplanted by the Type 02 torpedo. After the war 300 midget submarines of various types were found in various stockpiles in Japan. The submarines were fitted with 1300Ib warheads to be used in suicide attacks. They were intended to ram enemy ships in the event of a mainland invasion but were believed to have never been used. Each submarine had a crew of two men. A junior officer conned the boat while a petty officer manipulated valves and moved ballast to control
trim Trim or TRIM may refer to: Cutting * Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them ** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process ** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees Decoration * Trim (sewing), or ...
and diving.


Pearl Harbor attack

Five of these boats participated in the Pearl Harbor attack, with possibly two actually making it into the harbor. Secret war records show that submarine crews had been ordered to scuttle their subs after the attack and provisions were made to recover stranded crews. Of the five used at Pearl Harbor, ''No.19'' was captured with its pilot
Kazuo Sakamaki was a Japanese naval officer who became the first prisoner of war of World War II to be captured by U.S. forces. Early life and education Sakamaki was born in what is now part of the city of Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, the second-oldest of e ...
where it grounded on the east side of Oʻahu. During World War II, ''No.19'' was put on tour across the United States to help sell
War Bonds War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are ...
."Japanese HA-19"
, ''Historical Naval Ships Association''
Now a U.S.
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
, ''No.19'' is an exhibit at the
National Museum of the Pacific War The National Museum of the Pacific War is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, the boyhood home of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Nimitz served as commander in chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CinCPAC), and was soon afterward named commander in ...
in
Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg () is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frede ...
. A second Pearl Harbor midget submarine, ''No.18'', was located by U.S. Navy divers and U.S. Marine divers in training including Laurence McInnis and Fred Stock of the A Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, off Keʻehi Lagoon east of the Pearl Harbor entrance on 13 June 1960. The submarine had been damaged by a depth charge attack and abandoned by its crew before it could fire its torpedoes. It is unknown what happened to its two crew as their bodies were never found. This submarine was restored and placed on display at the
Naval Academy Etajima Etajima base (JMSDF Etajima Naval Base) in Etajima city, Hiroshima prefecture is in the Etajima-cho government building and is the base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Beside housing the 1st Technical School and the Officer Candidates Sc ...
15 March 1962. The midget submarine attacked by at 6:37 a.m. on 7 December, ''No.20'', was located in 400 meters (1,312 feet) of water five miles outside Pearl Harbor by a
University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...
research submersible on 28 August 2002. It was visited at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time, by an Okeanos explorer ROV, on 7 December 2016, 75 years after it was sunk. A fourth submarine, ''No.22'', entered the harbor and fired its torpedoes at and . Both of those torpedoes missed and are believed to have hit a dock at Pearl City and the shore of
Ford Island Ford Island () is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island; its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The island had an area of ...
. This submarine was sunk by ''Monaghan'' at 8:43 a.m. on 7 December and later recovered and used as fill during construction of a new landside pier at the Pearl Harbor submarine base. The hulk was uncovered again in 1952 but was so badly corroded by chlorine gas from the electrical batteries that it was again reburied at the same location. The crew's remains are still entombed in the submarine. Japanese forces received a radio message believed to be from the fifth submarine, ''No. 16'' at 00:41 on 8 December claiming damage to one or more large warships inside Pearl Harbor.Ofstie, R. A., Rear Admiral, USN. ''The Campaigns of the Pacific War'' (United States Government Printing Office, 1946), p. 19 At 22:41 on 7 December, they received a message from ''No. 16'' describing the air attack on Pearl Harbor as successful, and at 00:51 on 8 December they received another message that read "Unable to navigate." They never heard from ''No. 16'' again. In 1992, 2000, and 2001, Hawaiʻi Undersea Research Laboratory's submersibles found the wreck of a midget sub lying in three parts three miles south of the Pearl Harbor entrance. The wreck was in the debris field where much surplus U.S. equipment was dumped from the
West Loch Disaster The West Loch Disaster was a maritime accident during World War II at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Pearl Harbor U.S. Naval Base in Hawaii. The incident, which occurred just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, 21 May 1944, began following an explosio ...
of 1944, including vehicles and landing craft. In 2009, a research team assembled by the
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television series ''
Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...
'' positively identified the sub as being the last, ''No.16'', of the 5 Ko-Hyoteki that participated in the 7 December 1941, attack, piloted by Ensign Masaji Yokoyama and Petty Officer 2nd Class Sadamu Kamita. Both of its torpedoes were missing, indicating that the midget sub may have fired its torpedoes prior to its sinking. Although this correlates with reports of two torpedoes fired at the
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
at 10:04 at the entrance of Pearl Harbor, and a possible torpedo fired at destroyer at 08:21, there is dispute over this official chain of events; the "torpedo" that ''St. Louis'' saw was also reportedly a porpoising minesweeping float being towed by the destroyer . Some have suggested that circumstantial evidence supports a hypothesis that ''No.16'' successfully entered Pearl, fired its torpedoes at
Battleship Row Battleship Row was the grouping of seven U.S. battleships in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. These ships bore the brunt of the Japanese assault. They were moored next to Ford Island when the attac ...
, and fled to the relative quiet of neighboring West Loch, and possibly was scuttled by its crew. When a series of explosions sank an amphibious fleet being assembled in the Loch in 1944, it is suggested the remains of the sub were collected and dumped in the subsequent salvage operation, which was kept classified as secret until 1960. A photograph taken from a Japanese plane during the Pearl Harbor attack shows what might have been ''No.16'' inside the harbor firing its torpedoes at Battleship Row. The photo was declassified in the 1990s and publicized in the 2000s to the public. The sinking of the USS ''West Virginia'' and capsizing of the may have been accelerated by a torpedo hit from a submarine-launched torpedo, the warheads of which were larger than the aerial torpedoes. Some believe that in the photo, where the torpedoes' paths had supposedly started, were sprays that indicated a midget-submarine rocking up and down due to the force of the torpedo being launched, causing the propellers of the stern to be exposed, kicking up clouds of water spray. A war time report from Admiral Nimitz confirmed the recovery of at least one dud torpedo of the type employed by the midget submarines.Maugh, Thomas H., II
"Pearl Harbor mini-submarine mystery solved? Researchers think they have found the remains of a Japanese mini-submarine that probably fired on U.S. battleships on Dec. 7, 1941"
''Los Angeles Times'', 7 December 2009
The theory is covered in the ''Nova'' episode ''Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor'' and companion website, I-16tou.com.


Attacks on Sydney

On the night of 29 May 1942, five large Japanese submarines positioned themselves 56 kilometres north-east of
Sydney Heads The Sydney Heads (also simply known as the Heads) are a series of headlands that form the wide entrance to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north; South Head and Dunbar Head are to ...
. At 3 a.m. the next day one of the submarines launched a reconnaissance aircraft. After circling
Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...
the aircraft returned to its submarine, reporting the presence of 'battleships and cruisers'
moored A mooring is any permanent structure to which a seaborne vessel (such as a boat, ship, or amphibious aircraft) may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to f ...
in the harbour. The
flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...
's commanding officer decided to attack the harbour with midget submarines the next night. The next day the five submarines approached to within 11 kilometres of Sydney Heads, and at about 4:30 p.m. they released three midget submarines, which then began their approach to Sydney Harbour. The outer-harbour defences detected the entry of the first midget submarine, ''No.14'', at about 8 pm, but it was not identified until it became entangled in an anti-torpedo net that was suspended between George's Head and Green Point. Before HMAS ''Yarroma'' was able to open fire, the submarine's two crew members destroyed their vessel with demolition charges and killed themselves. The second submarine, ''No.24b'', entered the harbour at about 9.48 p.m. and headed west towards the
Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
, causing a general alarm to be issued by the Naval Officer in Charge, Sydney. About 200 metres from
Garden Island A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
the submarine was fired on by the heavy cruiser . The submarine then fired its two torpedoes at the cruiser. One torpedo ran ashore on Garden Island, but failed to explode. The other passed under the Dutch submarine ''K9'' and struck the harbour bed beneath the depot ship HMAS ''Kuttabul'' where it exploded, killing 21 sailors (19
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
and 2
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
). The submarine then slipped out of the harbour, its mission complete, and disappeared. Its wreck was located, about 30 km north of the harbour and 5 km to seaward, in November 2006. It is now protected as a war grave. The third submarine, ''No.21'', was sighted by HMAS ''Yandra'' at the entrance to the harbour and was depth-charged. Some four hours later, having recovered, it entered the harbour, but it was subsequently attacked with
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
s and sunk in Taylor Bay by vessels of the Royal Australian Navy. Both members of the submarine's crew committed suicide. The two submarines that were recovered were identical, and their remains were used to reconstruct a complete submarine, which toured
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
and
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
before being delivered to the
Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...
in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
in 1943, where it remains on display.


Attacks on Madagascar

On 29 May 1942, the Japanese
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s ''I-10'', ''I-16'' and ''I-20'' arrived at
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
. ''I-10''s reconnaissance plane spotted ''Revenge''-class battleship at anchor in Diego Suarez
harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...
but the plane was spotted and ''Ramillies'' changed her berth. ''I-20'' and ''I-16'' launched two midget submarines, one of which managed to enter the harbor and fired two torpedoes while under depth charge attack from two
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
s. One
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
seriously damaged ''Ramillies'', while the second sank the 6,993 ton
oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
''British Loyalty'' (later refloated). ''Ramillies'' was later repaired in
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
and
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
. The crew of one of the submarines,
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Saburo Akieda and
Petty Officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...
Masami Takemoto, beached their submarine (''No.20b'') at Nosy Antalikely and moved inland towards their pick-up point near Cape Amber. They were informed upon when they bought food at a village and both were killed in a firefight with
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
three days later. The second midget submarine, ''No.16b'', was lost at sea and the body of one of its crew was found washed ashore a day later.


Characteristics


Survivors

There are the remains of one in the open at
Kiska Kiska (, ) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is required to visit it. The island has ...
in the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
, and some in the waters nearby. There are four reasonably intact Type A midgets on display in the world: * HA-8 –
Submarine Force Library and Museum The United States Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum is located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut. It is the only submarine museum managed exclusively by the Naval History & Heritage Command division of the Navy, and this makes it a ...
, Groton, Connecticut * HA-18 – JMSDF Etajima Naval Base, Etajima, Japan * HA-19
National Museum of the Pacific War The National Museum of the Pacific War is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, the boyhood home of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Nimitz served as commander in chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CinCPAC), and was soon afterward named commander in ...
, Fredericksburg, Texas * A composite of two that entered the Sydney harbor in May 1942 –
Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...
, Canberra, Australia A third such submarine used in the attack at Sydney has been found, but remains in the waters off Sydney, to be left ''in situ'' as a war grave.


References


Notes


Bibliography


Pearl Harbor – Attack from Below
''Naval History'', December 1999


Pearl Harbor Attacked

Midget submarine attack on Sydney

I-16tou.com
*

* Rekishi Gunzō, ''History of the Pacific War Vol. 35, Kō-hyōteki and Kōryū'',
Gakken is a Japanese publishing company founded in 1947 by Hideto Furuoka, which also produces educational toys. Their annual sales are reported at ¥ 90 billion ($789 million US). Gakken publishes educational books and magazines and produces othe ...
(Tokyo, Japan), 2002, . *


External links


David Stubblebine: ''Type A-class Midget Submarine''''Type B''''Type C''''Type D''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Type A Ko-hyoteki-class submarine Submarine classes Midget submarines Ko-hyoteki World War II submarines of Japan