TheI-400 submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the largest ever built, held the record for its size until the nuclear ballistic submarine was built in the 1960s.
The I-400 was constructed as a submarine aircraft carrier like the world had never seen, and was capable of launching three Seiran aircraft. With an overall length of 122 meters, a width of 12 meters and a displacement of 6,560 tons, the size was comparable to that of a destroyer-class warship, and it was the largest submarine in the world at the time. In addition, it had the ability to circle the world one and a half times without refueling or resupplying: it was believed that the I-400 could carry out surprise attacks on both the east coast of the United States and the Panama Canal controlled by the Allies. Construction of the I-400 was completed at the end of World War II in December 1944. Along with the second submarine of its class, the I-401 was on its way to the U.S. Navy base at Ulithi, but neither submarine went into action due to the end of the war. With its superior design, the I-400 is said to be the forerunner of modern strategic submarines equipped with nuclear missiles.
Want to learn more about this amazing ship ? See HERE.
Plastic model to be glued together by the Japanese company Tamiya. Kit does not include paint and glue.
- scale: 1:350
- part number: 25426
- manufacturer: Tamiya
More information and photos about the model can be found on the manufacturer's website (link in the tab above).
A bit of history about the I-400 on the video: