Japanese submarine Ro-15
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 Submarine No. 24 during the early 1920s, sometime before her name was changed to Ro-15 on 1 November 1924. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 24 |
| Builder | Kure Naval Arsenal, Kure, Japan |
| Laid down | 12 June 1920 |
| Launched | 14 October 1920 |
| Completed | 30 June 1921 |
| Commissioned | 30 June 1921 |
| Renamed | Ro-15 on 1 November 1924 |
| Stricken | 1 September 1933 |
| Renamed | Training Hulk No. 3036 on 7 March 1934 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Kaichū type submarine (K2 subclass) |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 70.10 m (230 ft 0 in) overall |
| Beam | 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Crew | 43 |
| Armament |
|
Ro-15, originally named Submarine No. 24, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaichū-Type submarine of the Kaichū II subclass. She was commissioned in 1921 and operated in the waters of Japan. She was stricken in 1933.
The submarines of the Kaichu II sub-class were larger and had a greater range than the preceding Kaichu I subclass, but they had the same powerplant, so their greater size resulted in a loss of some speed.[1] They also had a modified conning tower, bow, and stern, and the stern was overhanging.[1] They displaced 752 tonnes (740 long tons) surfaced and 1,019 tonnes (1,003.1 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 70.10 meters (230 ft 0 in) long and had a beam of 6.10 meters (20 ft 0 in) and a draft of 3.68 meters (12 ft 1 in). They had a diving depth of 30 meters (98 ft).
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 1,450-brake-horsepower (1,081 kW) Sulzer Mark II diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 600-horsepower (447 kW) electric motor. They could reach 16.5 knots (31 km/h; 19 mph) on the surface and 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) underwater. On the surface, they had a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 85 nmi (157 km; 98 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).
The submarines were armed with six 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes, four internal tubes in the bow and two external tubes mounted on the upper deck, and carried a total of ten Type 44 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 76.2 mm (3.00 in) deck gun mounted aft of the conning tower.[1]
Construction and commissioning
Ro-15 was laid down as Submarine No. 24 on 12 June 1920 by the Kure Naval Arsenal at Kure, Japan.[2] Launched on 14 October 1920,[2] she was completed and commissioned on 30 June 1921.[2]
