Japanese submarine I-183

Sister ship I-176 at sea, 1942
History
Empire of Japan
Name	I-183
Builder	Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Kobe
Laid down	26 December 1941, as I-83
Launched	21 January 1943
Completed	3 October 1943
Renamed	1942, as I-182
Stricken	30 August 1944
Fate	Sunk by USS Pogy, 29 April 1944
General characteristics
Class and type	Kaidai type, KD7-class
Displacement	1,862 t (1,833 long tons) surfaced 2,644 t (2,602 long tons) submerged
Length	105.5 m (346 ft 2 in)
Beam	8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Draft	4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Installed power	8,000 bhp (6,000 kW) (diesels) 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Range	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) surfaced 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Complement	86
Armament	6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (all bow) 1 × 120 mm (4.7 in) deck gun 1 × twin 25 mm (1.0 in) Type 96 AA gun

The Japanese submarine I-183 (originally I-83) was a Kaidai type cruiser submarine of the KD7 sub-class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1940s. She was sunk with all hands by an American submarine in mid-1944.

Design and description[]

The submarines of the KD7 sub-class were medium-range attack submarines developed from the preceding KD6 sub-class. They displaced 1,862 metric tons (1,833 long tons) surfaced and 2,644 metric tons (2,602 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 105.5 meters (346 ft 2 in) long, had a beam of 8.25 meters (27 ft 1 in) and a draft of 4.6 meters (15 ft 1 in). The boats had a diving depth of 80 m (260 ft) and a complement of 86 officers and crewmen.^[1]

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 4,000-brake-horsepower (2,983 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 900-horsepower (671 kW) electric motor. They could reach 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) on the surface and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) underwater. On the surface, the KD7s had a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph); submerged, they had a range of 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).^[2]

The boats were armed with six internal 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes, all in the bow. They carried one reload for each tube; a total of a dozen torpedoes. They were originally intended to be armed with two twin-gun mounts for the 25 mm (1.0 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft gun, but a 120 mm (4.7 in) deck gun for combat on the surface was substituted for one 25 mm mount during construction.^[3]

Construction and career[]

Built by the Kawasaki Dockyard Co. at their shipyard in Kobe, the boat was laid down on 26 December 1941^[4] as I-83 and renamed I-183 in 1942. She was launched on 21 January 1943 and completed on 3 October 1943.^[1] The boat was sunk with the loss of all 92 officers and crewmen aboard by the submarine USS Pogy on 29 April 1944 south of the Bungo Strait at

32°07′N 133°03′W / 32.117°N 133.050°W / 32.117; -133.050Coordinates: 32°07′N 133°03′W / 32.117°N 133.050°W / 32.117; -133.050. I-183 was stricken from the Navy List on 10 August 1944.^[4]

Notes[]

References[]

• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Carpenter, Dorr B. & Polmar, Norman (1986). Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1904–1945. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-396-6.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Hackett, Bob & Kingsepp, Sander (2009). "IJN Submarine I-183: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
• Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.