Anyone know what this is?

[Bomarck]

I found this while scouring the net and was wondering if anyone could identify this sub? The site I found it on said it was Japanese if that's any help. The only thing I know that's similar would be the Surcouf.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g293/Bomarck/121678.jpg

[sharkbit]

Looks like a big, slow depth charge/ASDIC/SONAR/aircraft magnet.:D

Sorry, I can't offer any more help than that.

:)

[sharkbit]

When I googled "sourcouf submarine" images, that picture did come up on the second page.
I couldn't find any Japanese submarines that looked like that.

:)

[FIREWALL]

Looks Dangerous :dead: Would love to have it ingame. :yep:

Nice Find Bomarck :salute:

[Dowly]

When I googled "sourcouf submarine" images, that picture did come up on the second page.
I couldn't find any Japanese submarines that looked like that.

:)

According to Wikipedia, that is exactly that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf

[Bomarck]

Guess it might be one, possibly a different type then?

Here is a pic of a Surcouf.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g293/Bomarck/Surcouf8InchGun.jpg

[FIREWALL]

btw.... Welcome Aboard Bomarck :salute: Nice first post. :up:

[Bomarck]

Ah thank you :salute:

[donut]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MoreImages7/Surcouf8InchGun.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/FrenchSubmarineSurcoufthe.html&usg=___2xKUSO_5TwsZyafZQzguZGGjtw=&h=315&w=557&sz=16&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=v4lvshHLHM7cPM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsurcouf%2Bsubmarine%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3D en%26sa%3DX

[Platapus]

It sure does look like the Surcouf but not exactly.

This is a strange duck. The enclosure looks different from the Surcouf but that could be due to the camera angle. What bothers me is the difference in the deck plating. However the cutouts for the diving plans seems to match that of the Surcouf.

There also seems to be differences in the conning tower and I would have expected to see the painted markings a bit clearer.

One the other hand, if it aint the Surcouf, what is it? Not British, Russian, Dutch, Japanese, US, or Italian. At least not that I can research.

I even took a closer look to see if this was a faked picture. But it looks real.

I would be willing to put the differences down to poor camera angle and call this the Surcouf..... nor not. :arrgh!:

[Nickolas]

but... look at the net cutter, the shape of the bow (the Surcouf has a straight "dreadnought-esque" bow, while the "sub-?" has a bow similar to those of surface ships and "typical" ww2 subs)

also, the diving planes look different, and it either more of the "sub-?" stands out of the water, or it's WAY shorter and bulkier. (specially looking at the saddle tanks)

[TheBrauerHour]

Reading the history of the sub on that wiki link makes the story that much more incredible.

[Dowly]

Maybe it's time to start pondering, if the first photo is an real photo or if it is a piece of art.

Here's what caught my eye
- Could the Surcouf make a turn like that? It does seem kinda tight one. Especially the very end of the turn looks abit 'unnatural'.
- How is it so much "out of water"?
- The net-cutter is very similar to those in german uboats, yet it never was in german hands.
- The few websites I checked about the Surcouf, didnt have this photo. One would think that a good aerial shot like this would be used.
- There appears to be nobody in the conning tower.
- And lastly, I didnt find any information that the Surcouf would have been rebuilt later on nor copied by anyone. While the sub in the photo has it's differences compared to other photos of Surcouf, it could be explained by the possible artist taking a few liberties when making a shot like this.

[Dowly]

Mystery solved. :smug:

The submarine in the first picture is I-507, a fictive submarine based in Surcouf used in Japanese war movie 'Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean'.

Best picture I could find of it, you can see the main guns being identical to the photo on the 1st post.
http://www.robse.dk/pages/ModBoat/SubMovies/Image/I507back.jpg


The trailer shows few glimpses of it, with net-cutter etc.
http://www.nipponcinema.com/trailers/lorelei/

EDIT: One more pic
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1088/1742/1600/lorelei16.0.jpg

[ajrimmer42]

Only thing I could find:

http://www.strangemilitary.com/content/item/121678.html

Apparently it's Japanese.

EDIT: oops, Dowly beat me to it...

[Highbury]

Damn fine detective work Dowly! :up:

BTW, that movie looks so epic-ly horrible that I MUST see it!

[Dowly]

Haha, aye. It does look pretty bad. :haha:

[Melonfish]

Bad? you've got to be kidding it looks ace!
and we've all seen the formula before, experimental craft sent deep into enemy territory to stop their evil superweapon!
wicked.
i am SERIOUSLY going to watch that film! :rock:
pete

[Highbury]

I was gonna try to buy it. It will go with my "best sub movies of all time" collection along with In Enemy Hands :har:

[TLAM Strike]

ANother possablity its HMS M 1 or M 2... :hmmm:

[Dowly]

ANother possablity its HMS M 1 or M 2... :hmmm:

Nah, it's the I-507. Check few sites about the movie and it's identical to that first pic. :yep:

[FIREWALL]

Perfect flic for Saturday viewing. :D

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

There have indeed been some remarkable efforts to enhance the Submarine's role in sea warfare: including up to 12 inch guns on board :)

here are some of the examples....

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/5378/62717510.png

The Surcouf

The Surcouf was designed for long range commerce war Surcouf, at 361 feet and 3,304 tons the world's largest submarine until WWII, had a range of 10,000 miles at 10 knots on the surface and 60 hours at 2 knots submerged, and could operate safely at 250 feet. The Surcoufs battery included no fewer than 12 tubes (8 in external mounts) with 22 torpedoes, 2 8-inch guns in a special turrent mounting, and a seaplane stowed in a hangar and lanunched with a catapault. The Surcouf was also equipped with a special comopartment to accomodate prisoners taken from intercepted vesseols and a small motor launch to transport boarding parties. The submarine proved to be successful in peacetime but never operated as designed in combat becasue of the fall of France and the boat's subsequent loss in a collision.


http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4922/98652061.png

The British M.1, with its enormous 12-inch gun.


1919
The British converted several unfinished K-boats from steam to diesel power. They fitted one, designated M.1, with a 12-inch naval rifle. In theory, crew members could fire the gun while the boat was submerged; in practice, the submarine had to surface after each shot to reload the gun. M.1 sank after a collision in 1925. The British turned another, designated M.2, into a submarine aircraft carrier. M.2 sank when someone opened the hangar door by mistake while the boat was still partially submerged.

1925
The British tested the 3,000-ton X.1, which came armed with four 5.2-inch guns and six 21-inch torpedo tubes. This was an attempt to build an underwater cruiser. It was not successful and was scrapped.
927

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8734/ussnautalus.jpg

USN Nautilus (not the nuc version)

USS Nautilus, the 168th American submarine, laid down in 1927, was another effort to put big guns on submarines—in this case, twin six-inch guns. Nautilus offered at least one improvement over the British and French efforts—gunners could train and aim the guns independently—but the shells were too heavy for safe handling, and the V-class boat proved too cumbersome for operations as an attack submarine. The Navy converted Nautilus into a seaplane filling station and amphibious support ship for World War II.

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2027/6i400tokyobaysentokucla.jpg

IJN I-400 after surrender to US Naval forces

1942
Japan began construction of the 5,223-ton - 6,500 tons I-400 class of submarine aircraft carrier. Designed for attacks against the Panama Canal and the U.S. west coast, each carried three dive-bomber seaplanes. They planned for 12 but built only three, which never saw any useful service. These remarkable boats were totally unknown by the allied forces until they surrendered themselves to US ships at sea, after firing off all their torpedoes and ditching their on board planes.

These three Sen Toku boats were far larger than anything ever seen before. Some 60% larger than the largest contemporary American submarine, USS Argonaut, they had more than twice her range. The most unusual feature was that they each carried three floatplane bombers (and parts for a fourth), a feat never achieved by any other class of submarine. These aircraft folded to fit into the 115-foot cylindrical hangar, which was slightly offset to starboard and opened forward to access the catapult. The huge double hull was formed of parallel cylindrical hulls so that it had a peculiar lazy-eight cross section, and may have inspired the Soviet Typhoon-class built some 40 years later. Although aircraft must be considered their primary armament, they also carried a formidable torpedo battery and the usual 14cm deck gun. Anti-aircraft armament included ten 25mm cannons in three triple mounts and one single. Each of these boats had radar and a snorkel.
The aircraft were the Aichi M6A1 Seiran, also carried by the Type AM submarines. Each of these monoplanes could carry one aerial torpedo or a bomb weighing up to 800kg. Powered by the 1,400hp Atsuta 32 engine (similar to Germany's DB601) they had a top speed of 295mph and were credited with a range of 642 nautical miles. The Sen Toku submarines carried four aerial torpedoes, three 800kg bombs, and twelve 250kg bombs to arm these aircraft. These aircraft had their assembly points coated with fluorescent paint to ease assembly in the dark, so four trained men could prepare an aircraft for launch in seven minutes. All three aircraft could be prepared, armed, and launched in 45 minutes.

The Japanese applied the concept of the "submarine aircraft carrier" extensively. Altogether 47 submarines were built with the capability to carry seaplanes. Most IJN submarine aircraft carriers could carry only one aircraft, but I-14 had hangar space for two, and the giant I-400 class three.