Scuba News, Underwater Archeology, Wrecks

Twenty-four wrecks of Imperial Japanese Navy vessels found!

Listen to this article In the waters of the East China Sea, near Goto Island, at a depth of about 200 metres, twenty-four wrecks have been found that were once units of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Interestingly, all the found vessels are submarine wrecks. The find was reported by the Japanese coast guard. The Coast

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: August 18, 2015 - 14:00

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 11:30

Twenty-four wrecks of Imperial Japanese Navy vessels found!

Listen to this article

In the waters of the East China Sea, near Goto Island, at a depth of about 200 metres, twenty-four wrecks have been found that were once units of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Interestingly, all the found vessels are submarine wrecks. The find was reported by the Japanese coast guard.

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The Coast Guard said in a statement that the exact location of the wreck site had been determined with certainty. All the ships found there were sunk by the US Navy after the war. Among them is a real gem, the wreck of the largest submarine involved in World War II – I-402!

The colossus in question is 122 metres long and has a displacement of 6600 tonnes! This type of vessel was designed to carry out attacks on US territory in the vicinity of the Panama Canal. This was due to the three bomber planes that the ships of this class were equipped with.

I-402 was completed in July 1945, just before the Japanese Empire surrendered to the Allies. The giant vessel therefore had no opportunity to prove herself in battle, her future looked dark and she was finally sunk in April 1946.

Two other vessels of this class I-400 and I-401 were also sunk, except that in the Hawaii area. Both were located in 2005 and 2013 respectively.

Source: japantimes.co.jp

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.