I'm not certain, but it could be one of the early Kaidai KD boats, either KD-1 or -2, or maybe a Kaichu. I don't think the sail is far enough back for it to be a KRS minelayer though, but I'm more inclined to think it could be one of the "prize" Uboats they got from Germany after The Great War - or it could be a model that we have no pictures of. If it's any of the below vessels, the sail has been modified.
Kaidai KD2 I-152
Kaichu K5 RO-33
Former Uboat I-505
Type KRS Minelayer I-121
You'll notice on all three of the IJN-built boats above, that there is a "hump" above where the forward torpedo room would be, and in all cases, the forward deck gun has been removed, and the sail re-worked. My guess would be a modified boat, most likely a former German WWI Uboat with a crew in-training, used in a propaganda film on the Inland Sea, not the Pacific. At the 12-15 second mark, notice the "modern" AA gun on the forward top of the conning tower? Notice also the crew "posing" up-top. Bunch of hams...
- Also, how many men does it take to maintain and operate their diesels? Very realistically, notice how long it takes to dive the beast?... We'll have to see if kelto01 or someone else with Sensuikan knowledge comes along and lets us know.
Anyway, most of the boats that it could be would have been being used in the submarine school at the time. The submarines that keltos01 does have modeled are:
Code:
Type A1, Type AM, C1 / C2, C3
Jyunsen 1, Jyunsen 1M
Jyunsen B, Jyunsen B2, Jyunsen B3
Kaichu, Kaidai 3a, Kaidai 3b, Kaidai 4
Ko-Hyoteki
Sen Taka, Sen Toku
so basically, most of the "Fleet" boats (other than the Ko), active in the actual conflict - well, other than the last two "dream" boats... You'll have ample opportunity to attempt to sink a cruiser yourself in the game. The trick will be surviving for a follow-up...
I'm doing further research now, since I've found me a few more resources, and once we hit a lull in the FotRSU mod, I hope to be able to send keltos01 a version of CMN for consideration as a "beta" release. No historically accurate availability dates or anything like that, but a version that hopefully we can see how some of the ideas floating around in the grey matter actually function - if they do - but I'm still weeks away from that, almost the same place I was previously, due to "issues", shall we say, in getting some things to NOT work as hoped... sigh...
