Ha-202 in 1945
Class overview
NameHa-201 class submarine
Builders
Operators Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded byVessel Number 71
Built1945
In commission1945
Planned79
Completed9 + 1 (after the end of war)
Retired10
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • 320 long tons (325 t) surfaced
  • 440 long tons (447 t) submerged
Length53.00 m (173 ft 11 in) overall
Beam4.00 m (13 ft 1 in)
Draft3.44 m (11 ft 3 in)
Propulsion
  • 1 × intermediate diesel
  • 400 bhp surfaced
  • 1,250 shp submerged
  • single shaft
Speed
  • 11.8 knots (21.9 km/h) surfaced
  • 13.9 knots (25.7 km/h) submerged
Range
  • 3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced
  • 105 nmi (194 km) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged
Test depth100 m (330 ft)
Complement26
Armament

The Ha-201-class submarine (波二百一型潜水艦, Ha-ni-hyaku-ichi-gata sensuikan) were a class of small submarines designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). They were first deployed in 1945, but never saw combat. The Ha-201's were designed from the outset to have high underwater speed and were based on the earlier Submarine No.71 prototype. The official designation of the submarine was Sentaka-Shō type submarine (潜高小型潜水艦, Sen-Taka-Ko-gata sensuikan, "Submarine High speed-Small type"). The type name was shortened to Suichū soku Sensuikan Ko-gata (水中水艦, Underwater High speed Submarine Small type).[1]

Design and description

At the end of 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided it needed large numbers of high-speed coastal submarines to defend the Japanese Home Islands[2] against an anticipated Allied invasion (named Operation Downfall by the Allies). To meet this requirement, the Ha-201-class submarines were designed as small, fast submarines[2] incorporating many of the same advanced ideas implemented in the German Type XXI and Type XXIII submarines. They were capable of submerged speeds of almost 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[2]

The Ha-201 class displaced 325 metric tons (320 long tons) surfaced and 447 metric tons (440 long tons) submerged.[2] The submarines were 53 meters (173 ft 11 in) long, had a beam of 4.00 meters (13 ft 1 in) and a draft of 3.44 meters (11 ft 3 in).[2] For surface running, the submarines were powered by a single 400-brake-horsepower (298 kW) diesel engine that drove one propeller shaft.[2] When submerged the propeller was driven by a 1,250-shaft-horsepower (932 kW) electric motor.[2] They could reach 11.8 knots (21.9 km/h; 13.6 mph) on the surface and 13.9 knots (25.7 km/h; 16.0 mph) submerged.[2] On the surface, the Ha-201-class submarines had a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 105 nmi (194 km; 121 mi) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph).[2] Their armament consisted of two 533-millimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes with four torpedoes and a single mount for a 7.7-millimeter machine gun.[2]

Construction

The Japanese planned to build 79 Ha-201-class submarines (Submarines No. 4911 through 4989) under the Maru Sen Programme, prefabricating large sections of the boats, then completing them on the slipway. This was an ambitious goal considering the U.S. bombing campaign, which disrupted Japanese production, and by the time hostilities ceased on 15 August 1945 the Japanese had laid down only 22 submarines[2] and completed only ten.[2]

Service

None of the submarines made operational patrols.[2] Except for one submarine that was wrecked, the Allies after the war scuttled all the submarines that had been completed as well as all the incomplete ones that had been launched. Those which remained on the building ways at the end of the war were scrapped incomplete.

Boats

Boat # Name Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate
4911 Ha-201 [3] Sasebo Naval Arsenal 01-03-1945 23-04-1945 31-05-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Gotō Islands 01-04-1946.
4912 Ha-202 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 01-03-1945 23-04-1945 31-05-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Gotō Islands 01-04-1946.
4913 Ha-203 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 05-04-1945 25-05-1945 26-06-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Gotō Islands 01-04-1946.
4914 Ha-204 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 05-04-1945 01-06-1945 25-06-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Grounded at Aburatsu Bay, October 1946. Salvaged and scrapped August 1948.
4915 Ha-205 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 17-04-1945 14-05-1945 03-07-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled at Iyo Nada, May 1946.
4916 Ha-206 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 19-03-1945 10-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (95%), sunk by typhoon 25-08-1945. Salvaged and scuttled at Kii Channel 06-05-1946.
4917 Ha-207 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 23-04-1945 26-05-1945 14-08-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4918 Ha-208 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 01-05-1945 26-05-1945 04-08-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Gotō Islands 01-04-1946.
4919 Ha-209 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 07-05-1945 31-05-1945 04-08-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scrapped August 1946.
4920 Ha-210 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 14-05-1945 10-06-1945 11-08-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4921 Ha-211 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 01-04-1945 April 1946 Incomplete at end of war (40%). Scuttled at Kii Channel 06-05-1946.
4922 Ha-212 Kawasaki-Kōbe Shipyard 10-04-1945 25-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (95%). Scuttled at Kii Channel, May 1946.
4923 Ha-213 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 15-05-1945 29-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (93%). Scuttled at Kii Channel 06-05-1946.
4924 Ha-214 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 15-05-1945 15-08-1945 Incomplete at end of war (75%). Scuttled at Kii Channel 06-05-1946.
4925 Ha-215 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 22-05-1945 15-05-1945 Incomplete at end of war (95%). Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4926 Ha-216 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 27-05-1945 19-06-1945 16-08-1945 Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4927 Ha-217 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 02-06-1945 26-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (90%). Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4928 Ha-218 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 08-06-1945 02-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (90%). Scrapped, December 1946.
4929 Ha-219 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 15-06-1945 12-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (90%). Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4930 Ha-220 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 10-05-1945 Incomplete at end of war (20%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4931 Ha-221 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 20-04-1945 04-08-1945 Incomplete at end of war (85%). Scuttled at Kii Channel, 06-05-1946.
4932 Ha-222 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 15-05-1945 Incomplete at end of war (15%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4933 Ha-223 Kawasaki-Kōbe Shipyard 01-05-1945 Incomplete at end of war (60%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4934 Ha-224 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 07-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (55%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4935 Ha-225 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 07-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (45%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4936 Ha-226 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 16-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (35%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4937 Ha-227 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 10-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (25%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4938 Ha-228 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 21-06-1945 18-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (75%). Scuttled off Sasebo 05-04-1946.
4939 Ha-229 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 27-06-1945 27-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (75%). Scrapped, December 1946.
4940 Ha-230 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 03-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (60%). Scrapped, December 1946.
4941 Ha-231 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 12-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (50%). Later scrapped.
4942 Ha-232 Sasebo Naval Arsenal 18-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (40%). Later scrapped.
4943 Ha-233 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 01-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (10%). Later scrapped.
4944 Ha-234 Kawasaki-Kōbe Shipyard 15-05-1945 Incomplete at end of war (50%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4945 Ha-235 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 01-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (10%). Later scrapped.
4946 Ha-236 Kawasaki-Kōbe Shipyard 01-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war (40%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4947 Ha-237 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 10-07-1945 Incomplete at end of war (25%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4948 Ha-238 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 01-08-1945 Incomplete at end of war (15%). Scrapped, June 1946.
4949 Ha-239 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 01-08-1945 Incomplete at end of war. Scrapped, June 1946.
4950 Ha-240 Mitsubishi-Kōbe Shipyard 01-08-1945 Incomplete at end of war. Scrapped, June 1946.
4951 - 4955 Construction not started by end of war.
4956 Ha-246 Kawasaki-Senshū Shipyard 13-07-1945 Incomplete ay end of war (5%). Later scrapped.
4957 Ha-247 Kawasaki-Kōbe Shipyard 26-06-1945 Incomplete at end of war. Later scrapped.
4958 - 4989 Construction not started by end of war.

Footnotes

  1. The 潜高小 read as "Sentaka-Shō", but the 潜高小型 read as "Sentaka-Ko-gata", 高速 read as "Kō-soku" and 小型 read as "Ko-gata" in Japanese.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Hackett, Bob; Sander Kingsepp (2015). "Sen Taka Sho Type". Sensuikan!. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  3. 波号第201潜水艦 (Ha-Gō Dai-201 Sensuikan). The same shall apply hereinafter.

See also

Comparable submarines

Bibliography

  • "Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Vol.17 I-Gō Submarines, Gakken (Japan), January 1998, ISBN 4-05-601767-0
  • Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Extra, "Perfect guide, The submarines of the Imperial Japanese Forces", Gakken (Japan), March 2005, ISBN 4-05-603890-2
  • The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.43 Japanese Submarines III, Ushio Shobō (Japan), September 1980, Book code 68343-43
  • The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.132 Japanese Submarines I "Revised edition", Ushio Shobō (Japan), February 1988, Book code 68344-36
  • Ships of the World special issue Vol.37, History of Japanese Submarines, "Kaijinsha"., (Japan), August 1993
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