History of Kaiten
Brief Summery for Kaiten
As Japan's loss in the war looked increasingly likely, the Navy developed the human torpedo known as the "Kaiten" towards the end of the Pacific War. The need to find a crew for the Kaiten became critical as the war situation deteriorated and the ship was anticipated to serve as a pivotal battle weapon. The Kaiten had no escape mechanism because it was built in a hurry to get it into real battle. Out of the 1,400 volunteers, 106 were killed in action while boarding the Kaiten. The average age was twenty-one.
1943
Captain Hiroshi Kuroki and Sub-Lieutenant Sekio Nishina, two young navy officers, came up with the concept for the Kaiten. They saw Japan using manned torpedoes as a means of responding against the Allies' superior naval might.
1944
January:
marks the official start of the Kaiten project. The Japanese Imperial Navy accepts the initiative, given how dire the situation is. Kuroki and Nishina are in charge of designing and testing the first prototypes.
July:
Tests are conducted on the first working prototypes of the Kaiten. However, initial testing revealed significant technical problems, particularly with the oxygen and steering controls. Despite these obstacles, the Kaiten project is driven forward by the necessity of the war.
November 20:
The Kaiten is utilized in combat for the first time during Operation Kikusui No. 1, which is launched from submarines. Kaiten, a submarine launched from I-37, attacked and sunk the USS Mississinewa, an American Navy oiler. The first Kaiten attack to be successful was this one, and one of the few successful Kaiten attacks
1945
Early 1945: Although more Kaiten units are sent out, they are not very successful. Due to their extreme vulnerability, many submarines carrying Kaiten are sunk before they can approach their objectives. Furthermore, the Kaiten experiences technological issues that cause the pilots to perish without really harming the Allied forces.
April: The Battle of Okinawa, where Kaiten are used to try to block the advancing American forces, is one of the final significant Kaiten operations. The majority of these missions end in failure, with numerous submarines being destroyed prior to the launch of the Kaiten.
June: During a test mission, Lieutenant Hiroshi Kuroki, one of the Kaiten's initial developers, perishes in an accident. His passing represents the Kaiten project's growing futility.
August 15: Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan submits and the Kaiten program is shelved. The submarines carrying the remaining Kaiten units return to port, and they are never used.
Post war period
Late 1945: Following the war, Kaiten records and models are seized by the Allies. Although the idea of manned suicide torpedoes is not further explored in military technology development, the Kaiten are considered as part of the post-war evaluation of Japan's military technology.
1955 and afterwards: To commemorate those who lost their life in these missions, Kaiten Memorials and museums are built in subsequent years, especially at the Kaiten Memorial Museum in Shūnan, Yamaguchi Prefecture. As a part of Japan's wartime past, the Kaiten are recognized for symbolizing the tragedy and inventiveness of desperate wartime tactics.
Related Facilities in Kaiten
1. Atada Community Center
At the Atada Community Center, there are artifacts related to the Kaiten and the submarine I58. In addition, there is a blueprint of the submarine that was used to carry the Kaiten, as there was a submarine shipyard at that time.
Address：3900-14 Saga, Hirao, Kumage District, Yamaguchi 742-1111
2. Shunan City KAITEN Memorial museum
The Shunan City KAITEN Memorial museum displays many wills of trainees, and around theShunan City KAITEN Memorial museum are the ruins of the Kaiten Training Base and other bases that were used at the time.
Address：1960 Otsushima, Shunan, Yamaguchi 745-0057
