Suicide Torpedos

This morning i was watching some documnetary film about WWII

The Japanese Empire had built some submarines that carried these suicide torpedos things called "Kaiten" (mini subs ( 1 man sub).

I think that I'd like to see these in Enigma, not human but AI controlled once launched from the sub (player can eventually mark its destination on the Tactical Disp).

There was 2 types of these torpedos, Type-1 and Type-2

Some specfications:

Kaiten Model
Dimensions

Displacement
Machinery

Speed
Radius

Charge
Crew

Type-1

48'4" x 3'3" x 3'3"

8.3 tons

2 Type-93 torpedo motors

30 knots

78 miles @ 12 knots

3300 lbs

1

Type-2

55'2" x 4'5" x 4'5"

18.4 tons

1 Type-6 torpedo motor

40 knots

83 miles @ 20 knots

3300 lbs

2

Some sources:

http://www.combinedfleet.com/kaiten.htm

http://www.ww2pacific.com/suicide.html

http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~k_yasuto/kaiten/album-kongou.htm

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Kaiten

and last link : http://www.google.com

the RN had x-craft as well, not suicide but near as damnit sometimes

But were they not a last chance wepon like Kamakazies and the situation in not that desperate. yet

Actually, midget subs and manned torpedoes (all of them as dangerous to their crews as the enemy) were designed and built by the Japanese, British, Italian and German navies during WWII. The Japanese Kaiten were the only one of these without any means of escape provided for the pilot. crazy: The German manned torpedo-sub was the type "Neger" and carried an actual torpedo slung underneath it, ready to launch. It wasn't intended to be suicide, but few Neger pilots returned from their missions. The Italians had a two man torpedo-sub named the "Maiale" which was the most successful of it's type. The forward part of the weapon clamped onto the hull of the target, with a time delay fuse to allow the crew to depart the area. Two Maiale's sunk the HMS Valient and Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria harbor. Only the shallow water kept them from being total losses.

While interesting, you have to remember, these were too short range to be effective but in a localized area. Unless the targets were very close to shore they were all carried or towed to the area of activity by a parent submarine and released for their mission. The parent sub then had to wait around to retrieve the crew (hopefully), except in the case of the Japanese, of course. rolleyes: Their effectiveness overall was generally pretty poor.

Regards,

SeaWolf

I'd also like to see Kaiten included in the next chapter/patch.

Incidentally, I'd heard that the odd rogue torpedo did a 360 and sank the originating sub. (One U-Boat went down off New Jersey like this) It would be interesting to add "bad" torps in the game, and have to crash dive to survive.

Maybe even set one at 360 to scuttle on a "don't be captured" mission.

a scuttle or abandon-ship option would be cool.

Actually the very first Japanese POW in the United States was a mini sub commander.

I think his name was Ensign Asaki. Seems these mini subs weren't too reliable at the time, for some reason Ensign Asaki's mini sub drifted ashore and he was arrested shortly after.

FLETCH.

Actually the very first Japanese POW in the United States was a mini sub commander.
I think his name was Ensign Asaki. Seems these mini subs weren't too reliable at the time, for some reason Ensign Asaki's mini sub drifted ashore and he was arrested shortly after.

FLETCH.

Yes, that happened during the Pearl Harbor attack. There were 3 midget subs in P.H. that day, that one, which washed ashore, one that got DCd by a US destroyer and was later recovered, the other one sank somwhere and (I think ) was never found.

Actually the very first Japanese POW in the United States was a mini sub  commander. 
I think his name was Ensign Asaki.  Seems these mini subs weren't too reliable at the time, for some reason Ensign Asaki's mini sub drifted ashore and he was arrested shortly after.

FLETCH.

Yes, that happened during the Pearl Harbor attack. There were 3 midget subs in P.H. that day, that one, which washed ashore, one that got DCd by a US destroyer and was later recovered, the other one sank somwhere and (I think ) was never found.

Actually, if you ever watch Discovery Channel... They have located the 3rd minisub.

Actually, if you ever watch Discovery Channel... They have located the 3rd minisub.

I dont have cable