Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) submarines formed by far the most varied fleet of submarines of World War II, including manned torpedoes ("Kaiten"), midget submarines ("Kō-hyōteki", ), medium-range submarines, purpose-built supply submarines (many used by the Imperial Japanese Army, see Type 3), fleet submarines (many of which carried an aircraft), submarines with the highest submerged speeds of the conflict ("Sentaka" ), and submarines able to carry multiple bombers (World War II's largest submarine, the Sentoku ). They were also equipped with the most advanced torpedo of the conflict, the oxygen-fuelled Type 95 (which are sometimes confused with the famed Type 93 Long Lance torpedo).
Isla San Telmo
The wreck of a submarine can be seen off the beach during low tide. The Japanese had examined this submarine and stated that it did not belong to them. However, a subsequent underwater study by German divers reported that it belonged to the Japanese, having wrecked when the Japanese intended to destroy the strategically important Panama Canal in 1942. It was conjectured that the submarine was abandoned by its crew due to technical problems and the crew had taken refuge on the island.