Class overview | |
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Name: | L type submarines • L1 type (Ro-51 class) • L2 type (Ro-53 class) • L3 type (Ro-57 class) • L4 type (Ro-60 class) |
Builders: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Kōbe Shipyard |
Operators: | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Built: | 1918-1927 |
In commission: | 1920-1945 |
The L type submarine (L型潜水艦 L-gata Sensuikan ) submarines were medium sized submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), serving during the 1920s and the World War II. The L type submarines were built by Vickers naval technical guidance. All boats were built in the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-Kobe Shipyard by the contract with Vickers.
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The L types were divided into four types; L1 - L4
In 1916, the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Corporation got the Vickers L class submarine informations. Mitsubishi which lost competition to the Kawasaki's F type submarines (Fiat-Laurenti type, Ro-1 class and Ro-3 class), bought the license for the L class submarine from Vickers. The IJN hoped an improvement of submarine technologies will be achieved and ordered this submarine from Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi bought 6 submarine kits, and built 2 boats by semi-knock down. The submarine crews were satisfied with the Vickers diesels because they proved to be reliable. The IJN studied the diesel engines and made many variants of similar design, for example: Kampon Mk.24 diesel for the Ro-100 class.
Boat | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
No.25 Submarine Ro-51 (呂号第51潜水艦 Ro-Gō Dai-51 Sensuikan ) the same shall apply hereinafter |
10-08-1918 | 10-10-1919 | 30-06-1920 | Renamed Ro-51 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 01-04-1940. |
No.26 Submarine Ro-52 |
10-08-1918 | 09-03-1920 | 30-11-1920 | Renamed Ro-52 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 01-04-1932. |
The L2 type had minor changes from the L1 type. The changes were:
Boat | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
No.27 Submarine Ro-53 |
01-04-1919 | 06-07-1919 | 10-03-1921 | Renamed Ro-53 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 01-04-1940. |
No.28 Submarine Ro-54 |
01-11-1919 | 13-11-1920 | 10-09-1921 | Renamed Ro-54 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 01-04-1940. |
No.29 Submarine Ro-55 |
30-03-1920 | 10-02-1921 | 15-11-1921 | Renamed Ro-55 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 01-04-1940. |
No.30 Submarine Ro-56 |
10-07-1920 | 11-05-1921 | 16-01-1922 | Renamed Ro-56 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 01-04-1940. |
The L3 type is a license production model of the British L class submarine Group 2.
Boat | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Results | Fate |
No.46 Submarine Ro-57 |
20-11-1920 | 03-12-1921 | 30-07-1922 | Renamed Ro-57 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 20-11-1945. Later scuttled off Kure. | |
No.47 Submarine Ro-58 |
15-02-1921 | 02-03-1922 | 25-11-1922 | Renamed Ro-58 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 15-09-1945. Later scuttled off Shimizu. | |
No.57 Submarine Ro-59 |
18-05-1921 | 28-06-1922 | 20-03-1923 | Renamed Ro-59 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 20-11-1945. Scuttled at Iyo Nada, May 1946. |
The L4 type is a license production model of the British L class submarine Group 3. Their performance was good. The IJN was satisfied with them and stopped the development of Kaichū type submarines for a long time. Later the IJN was not able to regain the technical delay in development of the medium-sized submarines until the end of the Pacific War.
Boat | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Results | Fate |
No.59 Submarine Ro-60 |
05-12-1921 | 20-12-1922 | 17-09-1923 | Renamed Ro-60 01-11-1924. Lost in an accident at Kwajalein 29-12-1941. | |
No.72 Submarine Ro-61 |
05-06-1922 | 19-05-1923 | 09-02-1924 | Sank USS Casco 30-08-1942 | Renamed Ro-61 01-11-1924. Sunk by USS Reid 31-08-1942. |
No.73 Submarine Ro-62 |
08-09-1922 | 29-09-1923 | 24-07-1924 | Renamed Ro-62 01-11-1924. Decommissioned 20-11-1945. Scuttled at Iyo Nada, May 1946. | |
Ro-63 | 02-04-1923 | 24-01-1924 | 20-12-1924 | Decommissioned 20-11-1945. Scuttled at Iyo Nada, May 1946. | |
Ro-64 | 15-10-1923 | 19-08-1924 | 30-04-1925 | Sunk by naval mine at Hiroshima Bay 12-04-1945. | |
Ro-65 | 15-11-1924 | 19-09-1925 | 30-06-1926 | Lost in an accident at Kiska 04-11-1942. | |
Ro-66 | 01-12-1925 | 25-10-1926 | 28-07-1927 | Clashed with Ro-62 and sunk at southwest of Wake Island 17-12-1941. | |
Ro-67 | 05-03-1925 | 18-03-1926 | 15-12-1926 | Decommissioned 20-07-1945. Scuttled off Sasebo, July 1948. | |
Ro-68 | 06-02-1924 | 23-02-1925 | 29-10-1925 | Decommissioned 30-11-1945. Scuttled off Maizuru, 30-04-1946. |
Type | L1 (Ro-51) | L2 (Ro-53) | L3 (Ro-57) | L4 (Ro-60) | |
Displacement | Surfaced | 893 long tons (907 t) | 893 long tons (907 t) | 889 long tons (903 t) | 988 long tons (1,004 t) |
Submerged | 1,075.2 long tons (1,092 t) | 1,075.3 long tons (1,093 t) | 1,102.7 long tons (1,120 t) | 1,301 long tons (1,322 t) | |
Length (overall) | 70.59 m (231 ft 7 in) | 70.59 m (231 ft 7 in) | 72.89 m (239 ft 2 in) | 78.39 m (257 ft 2 in) | |
Beam | 7.16 m (23 ft 6 in) | 7.16 m (23 ft 6 in) | 7.16 m (23 ft 6 in) | 7.41 m (24 ft 4 in) | |
Draft | 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) | 3.94 m (12 ft 11 in) | 3.96 m (13 ft 0 in) | 3.96 m (13 ft 0 in) | |
Power plant and shaft | 2 × Vickers diesels, 2 shafts | 2 × Vickers diesels, 2 shafts | 2 × Vickers diesels, 2 shafts | 2 × Vickers diesels, 2 shafts | |
Power | Surfaced | 2,400 bhp | 2,400 bhp | 2,400 bhp | 2,400 bhp |
Submerged | 1,600 shp | 1,600 shp | 1,600 shp | 1,600 shp | |
Speed | Surfaced | 17 knots (31 km/h) | 17.3 knots (32.0 km/h) | 17.1 knots (31.7 km/h) | 15.7 knots (29.1 km/h) |
Submerged | 10.2 knots (18.9 km/h) | 10.4 knots (19.3 km/h) | 9.1 knots (16.9 km/h) | 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h) | |
Range | Surfaced | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
Submerged | 80 nmi (150 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) | 80 nmi (150 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) | 80 nmi (150 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) | 80 nmi (150 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) | |
Test depth | 60 m (200 ft) | 60 m (200 ft) | 60 m (200 ft) | 60 m (200 ft) | |
Fuel | 75 tons | 75 tons | 75 tons | 75 tons | |
Complement | 45 | 45 | 46 | 48 | |
Armament (initial) | • 6 × 450 mm (18 in) TTs (4 × bow, 2 × broadside) • 10 × Type 44 torpedoes • 1 × 76.2 mm (3.00 in) L/23.5 AA gun |
• 4 × 450 mm TTs (4 × bow) • 8 × Type 44 torpedoes • 1 × 76.2 mm L/23.5 AA gun |
• 4 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (4 × bow) • 8 × 6th Year Type torpedoes • 1 × 76.2 mm L/23.5 AA gun • 1 × 6.5 mm machine gun |
• 6 × 533 mm TTs (6 × bow) • 12 × 6th Year Type torpedoes • 1 × 76.2 mm L/40 naval gun • 1 × 6.5 mm machine gun |
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