The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: KRS Class, Japanese
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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| Tonnage | 1142 tons standard displacement1383 tons surfaced1768 tons submerged |
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| Dimensions | 280' by 25' by 14'6"85.34m by 7.62m by 4.42m |
| Maximum speed | 14.5 knots surfaced7 knots submerged |
| Complement | 75 |
| Dive | to 200 feet (60 meters) |
| Armament | 1 5.5"/50 gun1 light machine gun4 21" torpedotubes (12 torpedoes)42 mines |
| Machinery | 2-shaft diesel/electric (2400 shp surfaced, 1100 shp submerged) |
| Bunkerage | 225 tons diesel oil |
| Range | 6130 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 16 knots surfaced10,500 nautical miles (19,000 km) at 8 knots surfaced40 nautical miles (75 km) at 4.5 knots submerged |
The KRS (Kirai fusetsu sensuikan or kirai sen) boats were completed in 1927-28 in the Kawasaki Kobe yards. They were closely modeled on the German UB-125, which had been surrendered to Japan at the close of the First World War, and they were crowded, oversized, unmaneuverable, and lacked underwater stability. However, they were the only specialized minelayingsubmarines the Japanese built. Mines were deployed from two aft minelaying tubes. By the start of the war they had been converted to tankersubmarines for seaplanes, although they retained their minelaying capability.
Units in the Pacific:
| I-121 | Off Singapore | Relegated to training 1942-8-15 |
|---|---|---|
| I-122 | Off Singapore | Torpedoed1945-6-10 off Japanby Skate |
| I-123 | Balabac Strait | Sunk 1942-8-29 off Savoby Gamble |
| I-124 | Off ManilaBay | Sunk 1942-1-20 off Darwinby Edsalland Deloraine |
References
Jentschura, Jung, and Mickel (1977)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009 by Kent G. Budge. Index
