L-Class Submarines
Transitional Submarines - L-Class were transitional Japanese submarines. 4 boats commissioned 1920-1921. Medium size (1,060 tons submerged - 19× larger than No. 1-Class!). Diesel-electric, 16 knots surface, 10 knots submerged. Six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 10 torpedoes. One 3-inch deck gun. 5,000 nm range. All 4 served interwar period only (1920-1935). All scrapped 1935 when obsolete (15 years service). Never saw combat. Bridge between primitive gasoline boats (No. 1-Class 1905) and modern fleet submarines (I-1-Class 1926). Tested technologies and doctrine for later Kaidai types.
Specifications
- Displacement (std)
- 690 t
- Displacement (full)
- 1060 t
- Length
- 239 ft
- Beam
- 20 ft
- Crew
- 43
- Ships built
- 4
- Commissioned
- 1920-1921
- Decommissioned
- 1935 (all scrapped)
Performance
- Range
- 5000 nm at 10 knots surface
Armament
- Secondary guns
- None
- Torpedoes
- 6× 533mm (21-inch) - 4 bow, 2 stern
Armor & Systems
- Belt
- None
In-Game
- Tier
- T2
- Game power
- 25.78
- Research cost
- 2,269
- Credit cost
- 18,046
Notable
- Transitional design between early boats and fleet submarines (1920-1921)
- First diesel-electric Japanese submarines (earlier: gasoline/diesel)
- Medium size (1,060 tons - 19× larger than No. 1-Class!)
- 10 knots submerged (fast for era)
- All 4 scrapped 1935 (15 years service)
- Never saw combat (interwar only)
- Bridge between primitive and modern submarines
- Tested technologies for later Kaidai types