Japanese submarine Ro-55 (1921)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Submarine No. 29 |
| Builder | Mitsubishi, Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 30 March 1920 |
| Launched | 10 February 1921 |
| Completed | 15 November 1921 |
| Commissioned | 15 November 1921 |
| Renamed | Ro-55 on 1 November 1924 |
| Decommissioned | 1 April 1926 |
| Recommissioned | 1 August 1926 |
| Decommissioned | 15 December 1938 |
| Stricken | 1 April 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Japanese Type L submarine (L2 subclass) |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 70.59 m (231 ft 7 in) overall |
| Beam | 7.16 m (23 ft 6 in) |
| Draft | 3.94 m (12 ft 11 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 60 m (197 ft) |
| Crew | 45 |
| Armament |
|
The first Ro-55, originally named Submarine No. 29, was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type L submarine of the L2 subclass. Except for a few months in 1926, she was in commission from 1921 to 1938.
The submarines of the Type L2 sub-class were close copies of the British L-class submarine built under license in Japan. They differed from the preceding L1 subclass in the deletion of the two broadside-firing torpedo tubes and the two torpedoes for them, the use of domestically produced diesel engines and batteries, and a different battery arrangement. They displaced 907 tonnes (893 long tons) surfaced and 1,093 tonnes (1,075.3 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 70.59 meters (231 ft 7 in) long and had a beam of 7.16 meters (23 ft 6 in) and a draft of 3.94 meters (12 ft 11 in). They had a diving depth of 60 meters (197 ft).
For surface running, the submarines were powered by two 1,200-brake-horsepower (895 kW) Vickers diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged, each propeller was driven by an 800-shaft-horsepower (597 kW) electric motor. They could reach 17.3 knots (32.0 km/h; 19.9 mph) on the surface and 10.4 knots (19.3 km/h; 12.0 mph) underwater. On the surface, they had a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged, they had a range of 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).
The submarines were armed with four internal 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes, all in the bow, and carried a total of eight Type 44 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 76.2 mm (3 in) deck gun.
Construction and commissioning
Ro-55 was laid down as Submarine No. 29 on 30 March 1920 by Mitsubishi at Kobe, Japan.[1] Launched on 10 February 1921,[1] she was completed and commissioned on 15 November 1921.[1]