US fleet boats - best frontline sub of ww2?

[Freiwillige]

How do Japanese subs compare to the U.S. fleetboats I whonder. I know little about them but I did read an article tonight in one of my old WWII magazines about I-17 shelling an oil refinery off the Santa Monica coast in feb. 1942. It has some small details about the I class Japanese subs. Seems fast enough, Has plenty of torpedo tubes and a friggen airplane hanger that can launch a biplane in 15 minutes!

[Nephandus]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

How do Japanese subs compare to the U.S. fleetboats I whonder. I know little about them but I did read an article tonight in one of my old WWII magazines about I-17 shelling an oil refinery off the Santa Monica coast in feb. 1942. It has some small details about the I class Japanese subs. Seems fast enough, Has plenty of torpedo tubes and a friggen airplane hanger that can launch a biplane in 15 minutes!

Well.... the Japanese subs were technically some of the most advanced models being higher in range, able to submerge deeper and being more resilient. One type even had a submerged speed higher than the Type XXI. They also had the fastest torpedos (travelling at 49-50 kn at 9900 yards range or 13200 yards at 45 kn having the largest warhead of submarine torpedos in WW2).

But.... since the Japanese battle doctrine did not factor in the offensive use of submarines in commerce warfare, they were not used very successfully sinking only app. 1 million tons. And even that was only due to the fact that early in the war American ASW capacities were stretched pretty thin.

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

How do Japanese subs compare to the U.S. fleetboats I whonder. I know little about them but I did read an article tonight in one of my old WWII magazines about I-17 shelling an oil refinery off the Santa Monica coast in feb. 1942. It has some small details about the I class Japanese subs. Seems fast enough, Has plenty of torpedo tubes and a friggen airplane hanger that can launch a biplane in 15 minutes!

They used one such sub's plane to bomb the US in 1942. The plane from the Japanes sub I-25 bombed a forest near Brookings, Oregon with incendiaries in an attempt to cause forest fires. It was meant to be a retaliation in sort for the Dolittle raid. It was the only time the continental United States was directly bombed during the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lookout_Air_Raid