 AShinyo suicide motorboat being tested by Lt Col James F. Doyle USA commanding officer 2nd Battalion, 305th Infantry 69th Division | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Shin'yō-class suicide motorboat |
| Builders | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal |
| Operators |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Subclasses | Shinyo Type 1, Shinyo Type 5 |
| Built | April 1944–June 1945 |
| In commission | August 1944–August 1945 |
| Planned | 11,300 |
| Completed | 6,197 |
| Lost | At least 36 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Motorboat |
| Displacement |
|
| Propulsion | Toyota Type B engine |
| Speed | |
| Crew | Type 1: 1, Type 5: 2 |
| Armament | |
TheShinyo (震洋,Shin'yō; "Sea Quake") were Japanesesuicidemotorboats developed duringWorld War II. They were part of the widerJapanese Special Attack Units program.
Towards the end of 1943, in response to unfavorable progress in the war, theJapanese high command heard suggestions for various suicide craft. These suggestions were initially rejected as "defeatist" but later deemed necessary.[1] For the naval department this meantkamikaze planes,kaiten submarines,fukuryu suicide divers or humannaval mines, andshinyo suicide boats.
The program began in March 1944. The first vessels were tested on 27 May, after which it was decided that the original steel hull design would be replaced by a wooden hull due to the Japanese steel shortage. On 1 August, 150 students, on average 17 years old, elected to begin training for theShinyo.[2]
The main operative use took place during thePhilippines Campaign of 1944–45.
By September 1945, substantial numbers of these craft had been deployed to various locations throughout the Japanese Empire. Around 400 boats were transported toOkinawa andFormosa, and the rest were stored on the coast of Japan for the ultimate defense against the expectedinvasion of the Home islands. In Hong Kong, several shinyo boats laden with explosives were discovered atSok Kwu Wan (Picnic Bay) onLamma Island, positioned and ready for deployment against Allied forces.[3]
The shinyo were single-operator fast motorboats capable of reaching speeds of approximately 55 km/h (30 kn). They were equipped with a bow-mounted explosive charge of up to 300 kg (660 lb) that could be detonated either on impact or manually by the pilot. The boats also carried two anti-ship rockets mounted on launchers positioned on either side behind the driver. Production totaled 6,197shinyo boats for theImperial Japanese Navy and 3,000Maru-ni craft for theImperial Japanese Army.[4]
The similar Maru-Ni, operated by theImperial Japanese Army, were equipped with twodepth charges and were not actually suicide boats, as the concept involved dropping the depth charges and escaping before detonation. Although survival chances against the blast wave appeared slim, a small number of crewmen successfully escaped.[5] The depth charges were designated as theExperimental Manufacture Use 120 kg Depth Charge and were armed by a delayed-action pull igniter.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)