Tamiya 78019 Japanese Navy Submarine I-400

The I-400 was a Japanese submarine whose keel was laid in 1943, launched in January 1944, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1944. At the time of launching, the ship was 122 m long, 12 m wide, and her displacement in draft was 6,560 tons. The maximum surface speed of the I-400 was 18.7 knots on the surface. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 533 mm torpedo tubes, 1 140 mm gun and 4 25 mm cannons. The ship also had aviation equipment in the form of 3 M6A1 Seiran planes.

I-400 was one of the largest submarines built during World War II and was one of the so-called submarine cruisers. It uses rubber plates to silence its operation and operation, and to make it difficult to detect by sonar. It was also equipped with grills, which made it possible to use internal combustion engines while submerged. The combat career of the I-400 was very short. In May 1945 it was decided to attack the Panama Canal locks, but in June the target was changed to the great US Navy anchorage on Ulithi Island, which was to be attacked on a suicide mission by I-400 planes. The ship set sail for this mission on July 26, but on August 16 she received the news of the ceasefire and her return to the nearest Japanese port. After the end of the war, the I-400 was seized by the Americans and carefully examined. After their conduct, it was sunk in the Hawaii area on June 4, 1946.