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| IJN I-400-class submarine Sentoku Type 5,223 Tons (surfaced) 6,560 Tons (submerged) 122m x 12m x 7m 8 x torpedo tubes 14cm/40 deck gun 3 x 3x25mm AA guns 3 x M6A1 Seiran  USN August 27, 1945  USN June 4, 1946  USN June 4, 1946 |
Sub History Built by Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure. Ordered as submarine No. 5231. Laid down January 18, 1943 under heavy security as I-400-class submarine Sentoku type with three watertight hangars for folded Aichi M6A1 Serian plus the latest equipment including radar and radar detectors and a range of 37,500 nautical miles. Launched January 18, 1944 as I-400. Completed and commissioned December 30, 1944 in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) under the command of Captain Tosho Kusaka. Wartime History During 1945, the Japanese Navy planned a daring operation to use the I-400, I-401, I-13 and I-14 on a mission across the Pacific to the west of Panama then surface and launch M6A1 Seiran floatplanes on a mission to bomb the Panama Canal to disable the locks and delay shipping crossing into the Pacific Ocean. Later, the mission was revised to have the M6A1 Seirans painted in U.S. markings and to be used on a Kamikaze suicide mission to crash into the locks to cause maximum damage. During June 1945 their target was switched to the U.S. Navy (USN) anchorage at Ulithi Atoll. The operation was code named Arashi (storm) for the I-400 and I-401 to use their Serians painted in U.S. markings and armed with bombs for a kamikaze attack against any aircraft carriers at Ulithi Atoll. On July 23, 1945 both I-400 and I-401 depart Ominato and proceeded individually to their rendezvous point off Ulithi Atoll with the attack scheduled for August 17, 1945. On August 5, 1945 while at sea, I-400 suffered an electrical fire that forced it to surface to repair the damage. On August 14, 1945 reached the rendezvous point roughly 100 miles miles south of Ulithi Atoll but was not able to locate I-401 and waited. On August 15, 1945 the submarine learned that Japan had surrendered. On August 18, 1945 the operation is canceled by Vice Admiral Daigo and I-400 and I-401 are ordered to return to Kure. On August 26, 1945 the submarine is ordered to host a black surrender flag and surfaces. The three Aichi M6A1 Serian are assembled without ordnance run up and catapulted unmanned into the sea. The derrick drops all aerial bombs overboard and all twenty of the submarine's Type 95 torpedoes are fired. Aboard, code books, logs, charts and documents are destroyed. Surrender On August 27, 1945 at noon spotted by Avengers from USS Bennington (CV-20) from Task Force 38 (TF 38) off northern Honshū. Destroyers USS Blue (DD-744) and USS Mansfield (DD-728) intercept roughly 500 miles northeast of Tokyo and LtCdr Nambu surrenders the submarine. Meanwhile, Commander Hiram H. Cassedy and a prize crew of four officers and forty sailors Proteus (AS-19) embark aboard USS Weaver (DE-741) and proceed to take command of the submarine. On August 28, 1945 USS Weaver (DE-741) arrives alongside I-400 and LtCdr Nambu surrenders to Commander Cassedy who assumes command. I-401 escorted by USS Blue (DD-744) and USS Mansfield (DD-728) proceeds towards Yokosuka. The surfaced submarine surrenders to destroyers USS Blue (DD-744) and Mansfield (DD-728). On August 28, 1945 officially surrendered to USS Weaver (DE-741) and Commander Cassedy takes command of I-400 as a war prize and proceeds under escort by the destroyers to Yokosuka. On August 29, 1945 at 9:15am moors alongside USS Proteus (AS-19) inside Sagami Bay. At 9:55 I-14 moores outboard. On August 30, 1945 the trio of USS Proteus (AS-19), I-400 and I-14 depart for Tokyo Bay arriving at 2:58pm and anchor together. A formal surrender ceremony is held aboard Proteus with Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, Jr., representing U.S. Navy submarine force embarked formerly accepts their surrender. On August 31, 1945 the three move to berths off Yokosuka in the lagoon adjacent to the former Japanese submarine base and anchor by 4:50pm. Later, U.S. submarines are moored in the same area. On September 2, 1945 during the official surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri (BB-63), Admiral Lockwood orders his flag hoisted over I-400. Afterwards, I-400 proceeded to Pearl Harbor for evaluation by Naval intelligence. In American custody the submarine was studied and evaluated. Sinking History On June 4, 1946 off Barber's Point on Oahu sunk by torpedo fired by USS Trumpetfish SS-425 on during a tests of the Mark 10-3 exploder. After being hit by three Mark 18-2 electric torpedoes, the sub sank in deep water at 12:10, sinking by the stern. Over the course of several days four captured subs were sunk including I-201, I-14, and I-401. Shipwreck After the discovery of I-401 on March 17, 2005, efforts were made to locate the wreckage of I-400. During August 2013, the Pisces submersible from University of Hawaii's Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory's (HURL) discovered the submarine lying flat on the sea floor at 2,300' / 700m. Display On March 16, 2016, the submarine's bell was recovery by HURL Pisces IV and Pisces V during a collaboration between University of Hawai‘i School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Chico State University, Naval History and Heritage Command and the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. References Combined Fleet - IJN Submarine I-400: Tabular Record of Movement Air & Space Magazine "All and Nothing" November 2001 Issue, pages 22 - 31 I-400: Japan's Secret Aircraft-Carrying Strike Submarine: Objective Panama Canal by Henry Sakaida, Gary Nila and Koji Takaki CNN "Hangar of Japan's aircraft carrier sub found" May 5, 2015 UHawaii "Bronze bell recovered from World War II aircraft-carrying submarine off Oahu coast" March 16, 2016 YouTube "HURL submersibles recovery I-400 brass bell" March 16, 2016 Contribute
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