Japanese submarine I-53 (1942)

I-53 anchored at Kure, October 16 1945. The submarine I-58 is moored besides her.
History
Empire of Japan
NameSubmarine No. 626
BuilderKure Navy Yard, Kure, Hiroshima
Laid down15 May 1942
RenamedI-53 on 1 November 1942
Launched24 December 1942
Completed20 February 1944
Commissioned20 February 1944
Fate
  • Surrendered 1945
  • Stricken 30 November 1945
  • Scuttled 1 April 1946
General characteristics
Class and typeType C3 submarine
Displacement
  • 2,605 tonnes (2,564 long tons) surfaced
  • 3,702 tonnes (3,644 long tons) submerged
Length108.7 m (356 ft 8 in) overall
Beam9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Draft5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed
  • 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
  • 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph) submerged
Range
  • 27,000 nmi (50,000 km; 31,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
  • 105 nmi (194 km; 121 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged
Test depth100 m (330 ft)
Crew94
Armament

The second I-53 was the second of three Type C cruiser submarines of the C3 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned in February 1944, she operated primarily as a kaiten manned suicide attack torpedo carrier during the final year of World War II and sank the destroyer escort USS Underhill (DE-682). Surrendered at the end of the war, she was scuttled by the United States Navy in 1946.