Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy
The submarines that Electric Boat sold to Japan were based on the Holland designs, known as Holland Type VIIs similar to the American s. The five imported Hollands were originally built at Fore River Ship and Engine Company in Quincy, Massachusetts under Busch's direction for the Electric Boat Company back in August–October 1904. They were shipped by freighter from Seattle, Washington in Knock-down kit form to Japan, and then reassembled by Arthur Leopold Busch at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, which was then Japan's largest naval shipyard, to become Hulls No. 1 through 5 and were designated Type 1 submarines by the Japanese Navy.
Japanese submarine I-29
Only five other submarines had attempted this trans-oceanic voyage during World War II: (April 1942), (June 1943), (October 1943) and the German submarines (August 1943) and (May 1945). Of these, "I-30" was sunk by a mine and "I-34" by the British submarine . Later, the famous Japanese submarine would also share their fate. In 1945 the German "U-234" had completed part of the voyage to Japan when news of Germany's surrender to the Allies was announced, and the submarine subsequently was intercepted and boarded off Newfoundland; this marked the end of the German-Japanese submarine exchanges.