The Japanese Game Changer

 On December 3, 2013, it was announced that deep sea researchers discovered the wreckage of the scuttled Imperial Japanese Navy’s submarine, I-400. At the close of World War II, several Japanese submarines were captured, studied, and then scuttled to keep their technology out of the hands of our “Cold War” enemies. What made the I-400 unique is that she revolutionized the thinking behind submarine warfare and design. Prior to the end of the War, submarines were thought of as a means of destroying enemy shipping, or maybe the insertion of commandos or air sea rescue vessels. They were also used for scouting the enemy, and for the resupply of forces that were cut off in places like Bataan or Corregidor, P.I. They were not thought about as a means of projecting offensive power around the globe, except in the sense that they could help cut off supply lines by sinking freighters. The I-400 changed that line of thought, and now it was “game on” to see where this would lead. The I-400 was unique because her design, coming in right at 400 feet long, was essentially an attempt to project the Japanese power to the mainland of the United States via the use of an undersea “aircraft carrier.” The I-400 was built with a water tight hanger deck, capable of carrying up to three amphibious aircraft (with folding wings). These aircraft were each capable of carrying an 1,800 lb. bomb, and since the I-400 could carry enough fuel to reach just about anywhere in the world, she was probably the very first of the “ballistic” submarines. Imagine the terror it could have wrought had she been sent against our West Coast at the right time or place. While it doesn’t sound like much, just three enemy aircraft winging their way into San Francisco, Seattle, or Los Angeles, in later 1944, would have been extremely damaging to the morale of an already war-weary nation. Couple this with the notion that not just I-400 existed, but apparently there were at least four more of these things, then the numbers become less of an annoyance and perhaps more of a strategic issue. What makes the I-400 special is that from her, we can see the evolution of the submarine as a global strategic weapon system. Complete with watertight hangers, now called missile compartments, and sufficient fuel to circumnavigate the world. Now that the I-400 has surfaced, (please pardon the pun), the history she brings with her is invaluable. ~ Michael S. Pauley