The , also called was a pair of large, aircraft-carrying cruiser submarines built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II.
Design and description
The Type A Mod.2 submarines were versions of the preceding A2 class with the command facilities replaced by an enlarged aircraft hangar, which was fitted for a pair of Aichi M6A1 floatplane bombers. They displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long, had a beam of and a draft of . They had a diving depth of .
The machinery was reduced in power from the A2-class boats. For surface running, the boats were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the AMs had a range of at ; submerged, they had a range of at .
In comparison to the A2 class, the aircraft hangar was enlarged to accommodate two aircraft. It was offset to the right of, and was faired into the base of, the conning tower which protruded over the left side of the hull. A single catapult was positioned on the forward deck. Two folding cranes on the forward deck were used to recover the floatplanes.
- I-15 was converted to a tanker submarine in June 1945, 90% complete, scrapped in 1945.
- I-1 was 70% complete, sunk by a typhoon on 18 September 1945; later salvaged and scrapped.
- No.5094, No.5095, and No.5096 were cancelled in 1943.
See also
- I-400 class submarine - 3-aircraft submarine with catapult launcher
- Submarine aircraft carrier