I201 class info, if anyone wants it - source of photos

[ninjrk]

To all,

In case anyone is interested, I've posted pretty much every picture that I've been able to find of the bloody obscure Japanese counterpart to the Type XXI, the Sen-Taka class at Sen Taka photos. I've been trying to reserahc this sub for years and this is what little I've been able to come up with. If anyone knows of further photos or plans (oh, please plans) please let me know. Heck, two of them were sailed to Peral Harbor post-war for trials, maybe someone snapped a picture. At any rate, thought that some people might be interested in some of the rarer photos.

Matt

[dietzer]

Hello Matt,

Besides being a SubCommittee

Hello Matt,

Besides being a SubCommittee member, I also follow a message board devoted to Japanese ships and subs (hosted by j-aircraft.org). I took the liberty of copying your post to the ijn ships board. I'll be glad to forward any info to you that it generates.

You can follow the message board yourself if you wish. No signup is necessary. The URL is]http://www.j-aircraft.org/bbs/jship_config.pl[/url]

BTW, I have several (Japanese text) books on IJN submarines, some of which include the I-201 class (but sadly, no plans). I'd be happy to share any info I have that would be helpful. Judging from your photo collection, you've already collected some of them, but we can compare notes and see if I have anything you might be missing.

Carl

[ninjrk]

That would be welcome. Actually,

That would be welcome. Actually, way back in the archives on the J-aircraft board is one of my begging posts on this sub, which netted me the interior plans. Obviously, I'd be more than happy to go over our references, I really want a 1/72 model of this baby but I just don't have the info to detail it.

Somewhat suprising to me, as it was apparently not too far behind the Type XXI in capabilities and I'd have thought that there would be more interest. Even the popular Japanese publications (Koku-Fan, Maru) give it scant attention. Plus, I can't beleive that the USN could evaluate two of them and not have taken pictures and plans.

This baby has become my submarine Holy Grail!

Thanks again,
Matt

nitflegal@chartermi.net

[jim kerswell]

Matt,

Thanks for the posting. You've

Matt,

Thanks for the posting. You've assembled an impressive collection of drawings and photos of a high-performance submarine that most of us are unfamiliar with. Considering the few photos of WW II Japanese generally presented, these are a welcome addition. If two of these boats were sailed to Pearl Harbor, perhaps some researcher will find their photos in the National Archives, someday.

Do you have any further information on them? Was the single-screw boat a completely different class from the I-201 series? They don't seem to be heavily armed, with only two or four torpedo tubes. Were they, like most Japanese projects at the end of the war, designed for a last-ditch defence?

Jim Kerswell

[dietzer]

Matt,

The USN apparently did not

Matt,

The USN apparently did not draw up their own plans on captured subs, and I think the IJN destroyed theirs. A lot of the pics published of the I-400 came from the US National archives (you see both US and IJN sailors in these pics). I'm sure the National archives have more photos, but finding them is a daunting prospect.

I certainly agree that IJN sub plans are extremely difficult to find! It took me over two years of research to find some decent plans on the I-400, which is my holy grail.

It sounds like you've gone thru the same references for the I-201 as I have for the I-400. As the largest (and one of the fastest) non-nuclear sub ever built, I was surprised that so little info was available on the I-400 class. They were an impressive technical accomplishment for the time. The same is true for the I-201 class.

The only thing I can figure is that they are not that popular because both classes came too late to contribute anything to the Japanese war effort...

Best of luck,

Carl

[ninjrk]

Matt,

Thanks for the posting. You've

Matt,

Thanks for the posting. You've assembled an impressive collection of drawings and photos of a high-performance submarine that most of us are unfamiliar with. Considering the few photos of WW II Japanese generally presented, these are a welcome addition. If two of these boats were sailed to Pearl Harbor, perhaps some researcher will find their photos in the National Archives, someday.

Do you have any further information on them? Was the single-screw boat a completely different class from the I-201 series? They don't seem to be heavily armed, with only two or four torpedo tubes. Were they, like most Japanese projects at the end of the war, designed for a last-ditch defence?

Jim Kerswell

The single screwed photos are in the Ha-201 series, the Sen-Taka-Something-or-other (STS, anyway). Something of a counterpart to the Type XXIII, although it was longer, 174 feet. Same idea, though. Coastal sister to the larger I-201 class.

Matt

[ninjrk]

Matt,

I certainly agree that IJN

Matt,

I certainly agree that IJN sub plans are extremely difficult to find! It took me over two years of research to find some decent plans on the I-400, which is my holy grail.

It sounds like you've gone thru the same references for the I-201 as I have for the I-400. As the largest (and one of the fastest) non-nuclear sub ever built, I was surprised that so little info was available on the I-400 class. They were an impressive technical accomplishment for the time. The same is true for the I-201 class.

The only thing I can figure is that they are not that popular because both classes came too late to contribute anything to the Japanese war effort...

Best of luck,

Carl

Yep, actually finding anything on Japanese submarines is pretty tough. I've seen a couple of Maru books devoted to the I-400 and always prayed that one would come out for the I-201. I wish that the Japanese had their own submarine museum so that I could try begging and pleading there!

It's the same for Soviet WW2 subs. I've always wanted to build a Type XIV Fleet sub (the K-21) and there's still little out there. The bloody thing is actually a museum but I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic to visit and take photos!

On the plus side, I did find a book with plans on the Stalinets class which, when it finally arrives from Armybook.com, will allow me to make a neat diorama with the Revell 1/72 Type VII

Matt

[anonymous]

Thank you for the neat

Thank you for the neat I-201 images! Good to see discussion about Japanese submarines too. The submarine looking down on her in dry dock showed how the deck is in relation to the rest of the casing. P.S. Liked the Star Wars picture amoung the I-201 images too! LOL.

Thanks,

Steve Reichmuth

[dietzer]

Hey Matt,

Here's my list of

[color=#000000]Hey Matt,

Here's my list of IJN sub references. I think I have only one book that has anything on the I-201 and HA-201 that you don't already have]

[ninjrk]

Hey Matt,

Here's my list of

[color=#000000]Hey Matt,

Here's my list of IJN sub references. I think I have only one book that has anything on the I-201 and HA-201 that you don't already have]

Wow, that's an impressive list of references! Remind me to badger you for the I-52 class photos and drawings from them. . .

I do have several of those, what is frustrating (as I've found out after buying a very expensive book or two off of eBay) is that the Maru ones have the same 5-6 photos of the I-201 that they just keep reproducing in each book. I keep hoping that someone will do a book on the N71 high speed sub and it's derivatives, they show some interesting differences in design from their German counterparts. Perhaps since the Japanese X-Planes seem to be gaining in popularity, the other X-stuff will as well.

Matt

[dietzer]

Oops!

I forgot two of my

Oops!

I forgot two of my references!

Kojinsha PhotoFile #19
Kojinsha PhotoFile #20

I forgot to look at these last night to see what (if any) stuff they have on the I-201 class.

You are right about the Japanese 'mooks' (magazine/book) rehashing the same old pics. I, too, have wasted some good money on mooks that had nothing new over the others I already had. This is especially true of the Kojinsha PhotoFiles (which is why i forgot about them) and the Maru Specials.

BTW, are you interested only in the I-201 class, or are you also interested in the HA-201 class?

Carl

[ninjrk]

On a scale of 1-10,

On a scale of 1-10, my interest in the I201 being an easy 1o the Ha-201 is around a 7-8. It would be interesting to build her, especially with a Type XXIII. I've toyed with a 1/35 scratchbuild of each, then sanity raises it's head! Frankly, I would be interested simply because I could get a hint of the construction methods for the I-201.

One reference that I did have was one of the Maru's that had several good pictures of the sucker, including a large shot of one of the conning towers. Lost it in a move and always missed that one.

Matt

[ninjrk]

Hello Matt,

Besides being a SubCommittee

Hello Matt,

Besides being a SubCommittee member, I also follow a message board devoted to Japanese ships and subs (hosted by j-aircraft.org). I took the liberty of copying your post to the ijn ships board. I'll be glad to forward any info to you that it generates.

You can follow the message board yourself if you wish. No signup is necessary. The URL is]http://www.j-aircraft.org/bbs/jship_config.pl[/url]

BTW, I have several (Japanese text) books on IJN submarines, some of which include the I-201 class (but sadly, no plans). I'd be happy to share any info I have that would be helpful. Judging from your photo collection, you've already collected some of them, but we can compare notes and see if I have anything you might be missing.

Carl

I should mention that some excellent photos have been posted here, some that I've not yet seen. I hate to say it, but between what's on my MSN group and at J-aircraft, you might have every Sen-Taka class photo and drawing that's been published, anywhere.

Kind of depressing how slim the pickings are. . . Does anyone know who to contact in the USN for any photos that they might have of the evaluation examples? maybe there's some photos or film in an archive somewhere.

Matt

[dietzer]

I should mention that some

I should mention that some excellent photos have been posted here, some that I've not yet seen. I hate to say it, but between what's on my MSN group and at J-aircraft, you might have every Sen-Taka class photo and drawing that's been published, anywhere.

Kind of depressing how slim the pickings are. . . Does anyone know who to contact in the USN for any photos that they might have of the evaluation examples? maybe there's some photos or film in an archive somewhere.

Matt

Matt,

I'll try to send you something tonight. Sorry it's taken me so long.

I know its rather depressing trying to find info on some of the IJN subs. Your I-201 class is harder to find stuff for than my I-400 class, but it's almost impossible to find any pics of finished I-351 class subs. One guy on the j-aircraft site has been trying for some time, and hasn't even been able to find a pic of the I-351's conning tower...

BTW, have you tried the Nautical Research Guild? (http://www.naut-res-guild.org/). Their website has contact info for the National Archives, as well as a great list of other sources/references. Also, if you join the guild, you might find some of the members would be willing to help you or at least point you in the right direction.

I am not a member of the guild, but have been thinking of joining for the last year or so...

Carl

[ninjrk]

I should mention that some

I should mention that some excellent photos have been posted here, some that I've not yet seen. I hate to say it, but between what's on my MSN group and at J-aircraft, you might have every Sen-Taka class photo and drawing that's been published, anywhere.

Kind of depressing how slim the pickings are. . . Does anyone know who to contact in the USN for any photos that they might have of the evaluation examples? maybe there's some photos or film in an archive somewhere.

Matt

Matt,

I'll try to send you something tonight. Sorry it's taken me so long.

I know its rather depressing trying to find info on some of the IJN subs. Your I-201 class is harder to find stuff for than my I-400 class, but it's almost impossible to find any pics of finished I-351 class subs. One guy on the j-aircraft site has been trying for some time, and hasn't even been able to find a pic of the I-351's conning tower...

BTW, have you tried the Nautical Research Guild? (http://www.naut-res-guild.org/). Their website has contact info for the National Archives, as well as a great list of other sources/references. Also, if you join the guild, you might find some of the members would be willing to help you or at least point you in the right direction.

I am not a member of the guild, but have been thinking of joining for the last year or so...

Carl

No apologies necessary, I've been waiting for YEARS!

I looked through what I have on the I-351 and you're right, there's doodly squat. I've got two construction photos and a side drawing which, if you have any of the Maru specials, you probably already have.

I'll have to try that guild, maybe something will shake out.

Matt