 Submarine No. 24 during the early 1920s, sometime before her name was changed toRo-15 on 1 November 1924. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 24 |
| Builder | Kure Naval Arsenal,Kure, Japan |
| Laid down | 12 June 1920 |
| Launched | 14 October 1920 |
| Completed | 30 June 1921 |
| Commissioned | 30 June 1921 |
| Renamed | Ro-15 on 1 November 1924 |
| Stricken | 1 September 1933 |
| Renamed | Training Hulk No. 3036 on 7 March 1934 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kaichū type submarine (K2 subclass) |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 70.10 m (230 ft 0 in) overall |
| Beam | 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
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| Test depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Crew | 43 |
| Armament |
|
Ro-15, originally namedSubmarine No. 24, was anImperial Japanese NavyKaichū-Typesubmarine of theKaichū II subclass. She was commissioned in 1921 and operated in the waters ofJapan. She was stricken in 1933.
The submarines of theKaichu II sub-class were larger and had a greater range than the precedingKaichu I subclass, but they had the same powerplant, so their greater size resulted in a loss of some speed.[1] They also had a modifiedconning tower,bow, andstern, and the stern was overhanging.[1] Theydisplaced 752 tonnes (740 long tons) surfaced and 1,019 tonnes (1,003.1 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 70.10 meters (230 ft 0 in) long and had abeam of 6.10 meters (20 ft 0 in) and adraft of 3.68 meters (12 ft 1 in). They had a diving depth of 30 meters (98 ft).
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 1,450-brake-horsepower (1,081 kW)Sulzer Mark IIdiesel engines, each driving onepropeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 600-horsepower (447 kW)electric motor. They could reach 16.5knots (31 km/h; 19 mph) on the surface and 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) underwater. On the surface, they had a range of 6,000nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 85 nmi (157 km; 98 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).
The submarines were armed with six 450 mm (18 in)torpedo tubes, four internal tubes in thebow and two external tubes mounted on the upper deck, and carried a total of tenType 44torpedoes. They were also armed with a single76.2 mm (3.00 in) deck gun mounted aft of theconning tower.[1]
Ro-15 waslaid down asSubmarine No. 24 on 12 June 1920 by theKure Naval Arsenal atKure,Japan.[2]Launched on 14 October 1920,[2] she was completed andcommissioned on 30 June 1921.[2]
Upon commissioning,Submarine No. 24 was attached to theKure Naval District, to which she remained attached throughout her career.[2] She was assigned to Submarine Division 15 — in which she spent the rest of her career — and to theKure Defense Division on 1 July 1921.[2] On 19 July 1921, a fire broke out in hergalley due to faultyelectrical wiring and spread to the adjacent torpedo room.[3] She was flooded to extinguish it, but not before much of her interior was burned out.[3] There were no casualties,[3] and she was repaired and returned to service.
Submarine Division 15 served in the Kure Defense Division until 1 December 1921 and again from 1 December 1922 to 1 December 1923.[2] While cruising offMoji, Japan, on 29 July 1924,Submarine No. 24 collided with asteamer, suffering no casualties.[4]
Submarine No. 24 was renamedRo-15 on 1 November 1924.[2] On 1 December 1926, Submarine Division 15 began another assignment to the Kure Defense Division that lasted through the end ofRo-15′s active service.[2]
Ro-15 was stricken from the Navy list on 1 September 1933.[2] She remained moored at Kure as ahulk after that, and was renamedTraining Hulk No. 3036 on 7 March 1934.[2] She served on training duties through the end ofWorld War II in August 1945, and was scrapped in September 1948.[2]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1924 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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