Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy
The ("I-15"-class) submarines (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ) were the most numerous type of submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. In total 20 were made, starting with "I-15", the class ship. These were fast, very long ranged, and carried a single Yokosuka E14Y seaplane, located in a hangar in front of the conning tower, launched by a catapult.
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.