General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
RE: giant subs - Japanese
Posted by:
kurt
()
Date: December 10, 2000 11:15PM
<HTML>We seem to be on a bit of a Japanese sub warfare string recently.
The Japanese thought that the combination of seaplanes on a sub would prove to be decisive for the envisioned role of their subs: engaged as pickets and attrition agents against the american battle fleet in a great deep ocean battle.
The Japanese main battle strategy from the 20\'s thru Leyte Gulf in 1944 was to lure the american battle fleet out to the central or western pacific and destroy it in a climatic battle. (It actually worked this way, only it was the Japanese fleet that got destroyed, in a series of major clashes..)
War with america was expected to be brief and climactic. What mattered was the great clash of battle fleets. Japanese subs were expected to play a major role, both in spotting the oncoming fleet, and sinking major units, weakening the americans, before the great battle. That is why Japanese subs were designed for extremely long range (some had ranges of 25,000 miles) and high cruising speed (up to 22 knots).
And that is why they carried planes. Planes would greatly increase the spotting range, both for picket duties, and to help the Japanese boats close on the fast american battle fleet, using their high surface cruising speed.
Most classes of Japanese fleet boats could carry planes, not just the end of the war I-400 class (which were huge 5,000 ton monsters designed, as posted, to attack the Panama canal with three converted dive bombers..). In the early part of the war sub launched seaplanes were quite active, flying recon missions over Pearl Harbor, and even conducting bombing missions on the west coast.
The whole concept was flawed, however, because of the extreme amount of time it required a sub to be on the surface in daylight. Like Doenitz, the Japanese did not appreciate the major role that airborne ASW would play in WWII. by 1943 the seaplane operations had wound down, and many of these subs used their hangers for cargo on supply runs to bypassed garrisons. But the mentality continued and the end of the war huge I-400 class was a contradiction: a snorkel equipped boat (gotta stay under all the time) with three airplanes (gotta surface for a long time).
</HTML>
The Japanese thought that the combination of seaplanes on a sub would prove to be decisive for the envisioned role of their subs: engaged as pickets and attrition agents against the american battle fleet in a great deep ocean battle.
The Japanese main battle strategy from the 20\'s thru Leyte Gulf in 1944 was to lure the american battle fleet out to the central or western pacific and destroy it in a climatic battle. (It actually worked this way, only it was the Japanese fleet that got destroyed, in a series of major clashes..)
War with america was expected to be brief and climactic. What mattered was the great clash of battle fleets. Japanese subs were expected to play a major role, both in spotting the oncoming fleet, and sinking major units, weakening the americans, before the great battle. That is why Japanese subs were designed for extremely long range (some had ranges of 25,000 miles) and high cruising speed (up to 22 knots).
And that is why they carried planes. Planes would greatly increase the spotting range, both for picket duties, and to help the Japanese boats close on the fast american battle fleet, using their high surface cruising speed.
Most classes of Japanese fleet boats could carry planes, not just the end of the war I-400 class (which were huge 5,000 ton monsters designed, as posted, to attack the Panama canal with three converted dive bombers..). In the early part of the war sub launched seaplanes were quite active, flying recon missions over Pearl Harbor, and even conducting bombing missions on the west coast.
The whole concept was flawed, however, because of the extreme amount of time it required a sub to be on the surface in daylight. Like Doenitz, the Japanese did not appreciate the major role that airborne ASW would play in WWII. by 1943 the seaplane operations had wound down, and many of these subs used their hangers for cargo on supply runs to bypassed garrisons. But the mentality continued and the end of the war huge I-400 class was a contradiction: a snorkel equipped boat (gotta stay under all the time) with three airplanes (gotta surface for a long time).
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| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
giant subs
|
tony | 12/10/2000 01:13PM |
|
RE: giant subs
|
Nils | 12/10/2000 02:06PM |
|
Small correction
|
Visje | 12/10/2000 07:18PM |
|
RE: giant subs - Japanese
|
kurt | 12/10/2000 11:15PM |