Aviation submarine I-400
Aircraft carriers were widely used during World War II, especially in the Pacific. At the same time, submarines were also indispensable weapons at this time, and both The combination is a submarine aircraft carrier. It can be understood that the aircraft carrier has the ability to dive, or it can be understood that the submarine has several more aircraft. The most famous among them is Japan's I-400 class submarine, at least it is the largest in size.
The history of aviation submarines and Japan’s aviation plans at that time
Aviation submarines were not an advanced thing during World War II. As early as World War I, aviation submarines It has already appeared, and the first country to use it was Germany.
In 1915, the Germans mounted the FF·29 water reconnaissance aircraft on the U12 submarine. In fact, the submarine is used to carry the aircraft to a predetermined area to increase the attack radius of the aircraft. The submarine cannot dive during the transportation. There were many examples like this at that time.
In 1934, the French took the lead in building a true aviation submarine, the Sukov submarine. Its underwater displacement reached 4,304 tons. In addition to torpedo weapons, it was also equipped with a 203mm twin turret.
Behind the bridge is the hangar, which can carry an MB411 seaplane, but it is rarely used. This hangar is generally used as a warehouse. After the Battle of France, the Soukov belonged to the Free French. In 1942, she collided with an American merchant ship and sank.
Let’s look at Japan, which has reached the point of no return at this time. Yamamoto Isoroku plans to attack the west coast of the United States. Even if he does not have the ability to launch a large-scale attack, he still has to attack strategic naval strongholds. Important land.
Therefore, aviation submarines have always been on the navy's development list. Before the birth of the I-400, Japan had also developed a number of aviation submarines, but their smaller size could only allow them to carry one aircraft, resulting in The effect is also minimal. Under this circumstance, the production plan of the Iraqi 400-class aviation submarine was put on the agenda.
2. Performance of the I-400 class aviation submarine
The underwater displacement of the I-400 class is 6,560 tons, far exceeding the previous Sukov submarine, with a surface speed of 18.7 knots. The underwater speed is 6.5 knots and the endurance is up to 4 months. There are eight 533mm torpedo launch tubes on the bow of the ship, equipped with 20 torpedoes.
There is a 140mm naval gun on the deck, plus 10 25mm anti-aircraft machine guns. From the appearance point of view, the Yi-400 is not completely symmetrical. Its bridge is offset by 2.1 meters to the left, and the hangar is also offset by 0.6 meters to the right. The purpose is to maintain balance, but instability may occur when submersing.
The Yi-400 class hangar is cylindrical, 35 meters long and 4 meters in diameter, and is directly equipped with three refueling systems inside. When the hangar is opened, the extended zipline tows the prepared aircraft to the catapult, during which the pontoons are installed on the aircraft.
The catapult on the Yi-400 class is powered by compressed air and can eject an aircraft of up to 5 tons. There is a lifting device at the front of the deck for water surface recovery of returning aircraft.
The aircraft used by the Yi-400 is the Qingfeng water attack aircraft, which was born to serve as an attack aircraft on an aviation submarine. While in the hangar, the wings rotate 90 degrees and fold back.
The first prototype was completed in 1943. By the end of the war, 26 had been produced. A single aircraft could carry 800 kilograms of bombs or one torpedo. Because the Yi-400 has not participated in any actual combat, the Qingfei water attack aircraft has been eating dust in the hangar.
3. Regarding the extension of the Yi-400 class aviation submarine
After the Yi-400 class submarine was built, Japan has also lost the initiative, and the United States is also constantly strengthening its capabilities on the west coast. Air defense fortifications. In the plan, the I-400 submarine was preparing to attack the Panama Canal, but the plan was postponed due to the lack of qualified pilots.
Later, due to the continuous losses of the navy, the front line of the Yi-400 class aviation submarines also continued to shrink. Coupled with the cautious mentality, the three completed Yi-400 class submarines were never involved in the construction. Actual combat.
After the war, three I-400 class submarines and some reduced models (I-13, which could only carry two Harukaze attack aircraft) were towed away by the Americans. Although it is not very practical, it is also full of technological sense, which attracted the attention of the Soviet Union. After discovering that this behemoth on the water was being targeted, the United States hurriedly studied it for a while, and then directly regarded them all as target ships.