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C-3 Class I-53 with Kaiten "Kamikaze" Torpedoes.

Commissioned in 1944, the I-53, one of three in it's class, was launched in 1943 from Kure Naval Dockyard. C3 boats were fitted
with inferior engines due to wartime shortages, resulting in a reduced surface speed of 17.75 knots and 6.5 knots submerged;
however, additional fuel tanks made it possible for long-range cruises. A Japanese version of a snorkel was first used on these
class subs. With modifications, the I-53 was converted into a Kaiten carrier in November 1945. Initially, four Kaitens
could be carried, later it increased to five. I-53 carried 19 torpedoes with six each 21" torpedo tubes on the bow. On July 24th
1945 in the Philippine Sea, a Kaiten of the I-53 sank the Navy Destroyer Escort USS Underhill DE-682, the only warship
sunk from this type of weapon. I-53 survived the war, and was scuttled by the US Navy off of Goto, Japan in 1946.
 

The Kaiten "Human Piloted Kamikaze Torpedoes"
The Japanes began the developpment of the Kaiten " Turning of the Heavens" in early 1944. The Kaiten torpedo program
was not accorded high priority until after the Imperial Japanese Navy's failure to defend the Marianas in 1944. The kaiten featured
the combination of a Type 93 oxygen-powered 48'4" x 24" torpedo with a large warhead guided by a human pilot. The warhead
contained a charge of 3300 lbs of high explosive with a maximum speed of 30 knots. These were one way missions for the pilot.