| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Type-B submarines |
| Builders | |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Junsen Type A |
| Succeeded by | Junsen Type C |
| Subclasses |
|
| Built | 1938-1944 |
| In commission | 1940-1945 |
TheCruiser submarineType-B (巡潜乙型潜水艦,Junsen Otsu-gata sensuikan) was a class of submarine in theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN) which served duringWorld War II. TheType-B submarines were similar to theType-A apart from not having the headquarters installation.
TheType-B submarines were divided into four classes:

Project numberS37. Twenty boats were built between 1937 and 1944 under theMaru 3 Programme (Boats 37 - 42) andMaru 4 Programme (Boats 139 - 152).
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| 37 | I-15[note 1] | Kure Naval Arsenal | 25 January 1938 | 7 March 1939 | 30 September 1940 | Sunk byUSS Southard nearSan Cristóbal on 10 November 1942. |
| 38 | I-17 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 18 April 1938 | 19 July 1939 | 24 January 1941 | Sunk byHMNZS Tui and maritime patrol aircraft atNouméa23°26′S166°54′E / 23.433°S 166.900°E /-23.433; 166.900 on 19 August 1943. |
| 39 | I-19 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 15 March 1938 | 16 September 1939 | 28 April 1941 | Sunk byUSS Radford in theGilbert Islands on 25 November 1943. |
| 40 | I-21 | Kawasaki, Kōbe Shipyard | 7 January 1939 | 24 February 1940 | 15 July 1941 | Missing nearTarawa after 27 November 1943. Possibly sunk by aircraft fromUSS Chenango on 29 November 1943. |
| 41 | I-23 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 8 December 1938 | 24 November 1939 | 27 September 1941 | Missing near theHawaiian Islands after 24 February 1942, most likely due to a diving accident. |
| 42 | I-25 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 3 February 1939 | 8 June 1940 | 15 October 1941 | Missing nearEspiritu Santo after 23 August 1943. Possibly sunk byUSS Patterson on 25 August 1943. |
| 43 | The dummy for the naval budget of theYamato-classbattleship. | |||||
| 139 | I-26 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 7 June 1939 | 10 April 1940 | 6 November 1941 | Missing east of thePhilippines after 25 October 1944. Possibly sunk byUSS Richard M. Rowell on 26 October 1944. |
| 140 | I-27 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 5 July 1939 | 6 June 1940 | 24 February 1942 | Sunk byHMS Paladin andHMS Petard in theMaldives at00°57′N72°16′E / 0.950°N 72.267°E /0.950; 72.267 on 12 February 1944. |
| 141 | I-28 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 25 September 1939 | 17 December 1940 | 6 February 1942 | Sunk byUSS Tautog north ofRabaul at06°30′N152°00′E / 6.500°N 152.000°E /6.500; 152.000 on 17 May 1942. |
| 142 | I-29 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 20 September 1939 | 29 September 1940 | 27 February 1942 | Sunk byUSS Sawfish south ofSabtang Island at20°10′N121°50′E / 20.167°N 121.833°E /20.167; 121.833 on 26 July 1944. |
| 143 | I-30 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 7 June 1939 | 17 September 1940 | 28 February 1942 | Sunk by a British mine atSingapore on 13 October 1942. Raised and scrapped between August 1959 and February 1960. |
| 144 | I-31 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 6 December 1939 | 13 March 1941 | 30 May 1942 | Sunk byUSS Frazier atAttu Island on 13 May 1943. |
| 145 | I-32 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 20 January 1940 | 17 December 1940 | 26 April 1942 | Sunk byUSS Manlove and USSPC-1135 northeast ofWotje Atoll on 24 March 1943. |
| 146 | I-33 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 21 February 1940 | 1 May 1941 | 10 June 1942 | Lost in an accident atTruk on 26 September 1942. Salvaged and repaired starting 29 December 1943. Later, lost in another accident atIyo Nada on 13 June 1944. Salvaged and scrapped starting 28 June 1953. |
| 147 | I-34 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 9 January 1941 | 24 September 1941 | 31 August 1942 | Sunk byHMS Taurus atPenang Island on 13 November 1943. Salvaged on 4 December 1962. |
| 148 | I-35 | Mitsubishi, Kōbe Shipyard | 2 September 1940 | 24 September 1941 | 31 August 1942 | Sunk byUSS Meade andUSS Frazier south ofTarawa on 22 November 1943. |
| 149 | I-36 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 4 December 1940 | 1 November 1941 | 30 September 1942 | Converted to aKaiten mother ship on 1 September 1944. Decommissioned on 30 November 1945, blown up (along withHa-106) off theGotō Islands on 1 April 1946 as part of Operation Road's End. |
| 150 | I-37 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 7 December 1940 | 22 October 1941 | 10 March 1943 | Converted to aKaiten mother ship on 9 September 1944. Sunk byUSS Conklin andUSS McCoy Reynolds north ofPalau, on 19 November 1944. |
| 151 | I-38 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 19 June 1941 | 15 April 1942 | 31 January 1943 | Sunk byUSS Nicholas east ofLuzon on 13 November 1944. |
| 152 | I-39 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 19 June 1941 | 15 April 1942 | 22 April 1943 | Sunk byUSS Boyd west ofMakin at03°10′N171°55′E / 3.167°N 171.917°E /3.167; 171.917 on 16 November 1943. |
| 153 | The dummy for the naval budget of theYamato-class battleships |

Project numberS37B. Six boats were planned under theMaru Kyū Programme (Boats 370 - 375), all boats were completed. On the outside this class looked the same as theI-15 class; however, they were built from high-tensile strength steel and equipped with diesel engines of a simpler design.
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 370 | I-40 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 18 March 1942 | 10 November 1942 | 31 July 1943 | Missing after 22 November 1943. |
| 371 | I-41 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 18 March 1942 | 10 November 1942 | 18 September 1943 | Sunk byUSS Lawrence C. Taylor east of the Philippines at12°44′N130°42′E / 12.733°N 130.700°E /12.733; 130.700 on 18 November 1944. |
| 372 | I-42 | Kure Naval Arsenal | 18 March 1942 | 10 November 1942 | 3 November 1943 | Sunk byUSS Tunny southwest of Palau at06°40′N134°03′E / 6.667°N 134.050°E /6.667; 134.050 on 23 March 1944. |
| 373 | I-43 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 27 April 1942 | 25 October 1942 | 5 November 1943 | After completion, converted to a carrier for aDaihatsu-class landing barge. Sunk byUSS Aspro north of Truk at12°42′N149°17′E / 12.700°N 149.283°E /12.700; 149.283 on 15 February 1944. |
| 374 | I-44 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 11 June 1942 | 5 March 1943 | 31 January 1944 | Converted to aKaiten mother ship on 22 October 1944. Sunk by an aircraft fromUSS Tulagi southeast of Okinawa at24°15′N131°16′E / 24.250°N 131.267°E /24.250; 131.267 on 29 April 1945. |
| 375 | I-45 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 15 July 1942 | 6 March 1943 | 28 December 1943 | Sunk byUSS Whitehurst east of the Philippines on 29 October 1944. |

Project numberS37C. Twenty-one boats were planned under theMaru Kyū Programme (Boats 627 - 636) andKai-Maru 5 Programme (Boats 5101 - 5114). Eighteen boats were cancelled in late 1943, because the IJN was setting theType E submarine [ja] (戊型潜水艦,Bo-gata sensuikan) as 1945's main submarines.
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Results | Fate |
| 627 | I-54 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 1 July 1942 | 4 May 1943 | 31 March 1944 | DamagedUSS Santee on 25-10-1944 (?)[note 2] | Sunk east of Leyte byUSS Helm andUSS Gridley on 28 October 1944.[note 3] |
| 629 | I-56 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 29 September 1942 | 30 June 1943 | 8 June 1944 | Damaged USSLST-695 on 24 October 1944. DamagedUSS Santee on 25 October 1944 (?).[note 2] | Conversion to aKaiten mother ship began in early October 1943 and completed in November 1944. Sunk byUSS Heermann,USS Uhlmann,USS Mertz,USS Collett and aircraft fromUSS Bataan east of Okinawa at26°42′N130°38′E / 26.700°N 130.633°E /26.700; 130.633 on 18 April 1945. |
| 631 | I-58 | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 26 December 1942 | 9 October 1943 | 7 September 1944 | Sank SSWild Hunter on 28 July 1945, possibly byKaiten SankUSS Indianapolis on 30 July 1945 DamagedUSS Thomas F. Nickel on 12 August 1945 byKaiten (?) | Converted to aKaiten mother ship before completion. Decommissioned on 30 November 1945, scuttled off the Gotō Islands on 1 April 1946 as part of Operation Road's End. Wreck found in 2017. |
| 633 - 636 | Cancelled in 1943 | ||||||
| 5101 - 5114 |
Project numberS49A. Eighteen boats were planned under theKai-Maru 5 Programme (Boats 5115 - 5132). However, all boats were cancelled in late 1943, because the IJN concentrated on production ofType-E submarine (戊型潜水艦,Bo-gata sensuikan) from 1945.
| Boat No. | Boat | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| 5115 - 5132 | Cancelled in 1943 |
| Type | Type-B (I-15) | Type-B Mod. 1 (I-40) | Type-B Mod. 2 (I-54) | V22A Type | |
| Displacement | Surfaced | 2,198 long tons (2,233 t) | 2,230 long tons (2,266 t) | 2,140 long tons (2,174 t) | 2,330 long tons (2,367 t) |
| Submerged | 3,654 long tons (3,713 t) | 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) | 3,688 long tons (3,747 t) | No data | |
| Length (overall) | 108.70 m (356 ft 8 in) | 108.70 m (356 ft 8 in) | 108.70 m (356 ft 8 in) | 106.50 m (349 ft 5 in) (waterline) | |
| Beam | 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) | 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) | 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in) | 9.64 m (31 ft 8 in) | |
| Draft | 5.14 m (16 ft 10 in) | 5.20 m (17 ft 1 in) | 5.19 m (17 ft 0 in) | 5.32 m (17 ft 5 in) | |
| Depth | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) | 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in) | No data | |
| Power plant and shaft | 2 ×Kampon Mk. 2 Model 10 diesels 2 shafts | 2 × Kampon Mk. 1A Model 10 diesels 2 shafts | 2 × Kampon Mk. 22 Model 10 diesels 2 shafts | 2 × Kampon Mk. 2 Model 10 diesels 2 shafts | |
| Power | Surfaced | 12,400 bhp | 11,000 bhp | 4,700 bhp | 11,000 bhp |
| Submerged | 2,000 shp | 2,000 shp | 1,200 shp | 2,400 shp | |
| Speed | Surfaced | 23.6knots (43.7 km/h) | 23.5knots (43.5 km/h) | 17.7knots (32.8 km/h) | 22.4knots (41.5 km/h) |
| Submerged | 8.0knots (14.8 km/h) | 8.0knots (14.8 km/h) | 6.5knots (12.0 km/h) | 8.0knots (14.8 km/h) | |
| Range | Surfaced | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) | 21,000 nmi (39,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Submerged | 96 nmi (178 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | 96 nmi (178 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | 105 nmi (194 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | 80 nmi (150 km) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) | |
| Test depth | 100 m (330 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | 100 m (330 ft) | |
| Fuel | 774 tons | 814 tons | 842.8 tons | 735 tons | |
| Complement | 94 | 94 | 94 | No data | |
| Armament (initial) | • 6 × 533 mm (21 in)Torpedo tubes (6 × front) • 17 ×Type 95 torpedoes • 1 × 140 mm (5.5 in)L/4011th Year Type naval gun[3] • 2 ×Type 96 25mm AA guns | • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (6 × front) • 17 × Type 95 torpedoes • 1 × 140 mm (5.5 in) L/40 11th Year Type Naval gun[3] • 2 × Type 96 25mm AA guns | • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (6 × front) • 19 × Type 95 torpedoes • 1 × 140 mm (5.5 in) L/40 11th Year Type Naval gun[3] • 2 × Type 96 25mm AA guns | • 8 × 533 mm (21 in) TTs (8 × front) • 16 × torpedoes • 1 ×14 cm/40 11th Year Type naval gun[3] • 4 × 25mm AA guns • 8 ×naval mines | |
| Aircraft and facilities | • Catapult and hangar • 1 ×Watanabe E9W1Slim seaplane | • Catapult and hangar • 1 ×Yokosuka E14Y2Glen seaplane | • Catapult and hangar • 1 × Yokosuka E14Y2Glen seaplane | • Catapult and hangar • 1 × floatplane | |