I-200 class submarine

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Career
Senkou I-202 at high surface speed.
Ships:	I-201, I-202, I-203
Completed:	1945
Decommissioned:	1945
Fate:	Scuttled by the US Navy (1946)
General Characteristics
Displacement:	1,291 tons surfaced / 1,450 tons submerged
Dimensions:	259 ft x 19 ft x 18 ft
Surface propulsion:	2 diesels: 2,750 hp
Submerged propulsion:	2 electric motors: 5,000 hp
Surface speed:	15.75 knots
Submerged speed:	19 knots
Maximum depth:	110 m (360 ft)
Range:	5,800 nm at 16 knots
Complement:	31 officers and men
Armament:	4 x 533mm TT fwd (10 torpedoes) 2 x 25mm mg

The I-200-class submarines were submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. These submarines were modern design, and known as Senkou (Japanese: 潜高, from Sen, abbreviation of 潜水艦, Sensuikan, "Submarine", and kou, abbreviation of 高速, Kousoku, "High speed"). Three boats, numbered I-201, I-202 and I-203, were completed. I-204 to I-208 were incomplete at the end of the war.

The I-200 class were high-performance submarines that bore little resemblance to the large I-boats that preceded it. With 5000 hp electric motors, streamlined all-welded hulls and a large capacity battery consisting of 4,192 battery cells, the I-201 was optimized for submerged performance. The underwater speed of 19 knots was double the speed achieved by contemporary American designs. The I-200 class was also equipped with a crude snorkel, which allowed for underwater diesel operation while recharging batteries.

They displaced 1291 tons surfaced, had a test depth of 360 feet, and were armed with four torpedo tubes and 10 torpedos. The 2 25-mm anti-aircraft guns were housed in retractable mounts to maintain streamlining. The submarine were designed for mass production, with large sections prefabricated in factories and transported to the slip for final assembly.

Twenty-three units were ordered from the Kure Navy Yard under the 1943 construction program. Due to the deteriorating war situation, only eight boats were laid down, and only three were completed before the end of the war. None of them saw operational use.

Two submarines, I-201 and I-203, were seized and inspected by the US Navy at the end of the hostilities. They were part of a group of four captured submarines, including the giant I-400 and I-401, which were sailed to Hawaii by US Navy technicians for further inspection.

On March 26, 1946, the Navy decided to scuttle all captured Japanese submarines.

On April 5, 1946, I-202 was scuttled in Japanese waters. On May 21, 1946, I-203 was torpedoed and sunk by USS Caiman off the Hawaiian Islands. On May 23, 1946, I-201 was torpedoed and sunk by USS Queenfish.