1:700 Submarine I-361 and I-171 1:700 Scale Japanese Navy Submarine I-361/I-171 from the Water Line Series by Hasegawa FEATURES: • Highly detailed plastic kit moulded in grey • Detailed hull • Waterslide decals • Illustrated instructions
The I-361 was a Japanese submarine whose keel was laid in 1943, launched in October 1943, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in May 1944. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 73.5 m, width 8.9 m, and underwater displacement - 2,200 tons. The maximum surface speed of the I-361 was up to 13 knots on the surface. The main armament was two 533mm torpedo launchers, while the secondary armament was a single 140mm cannon and two 25mm Type 96 AA guns.
The I-361 was a Type D submarine, which in turn was developed after the Battle of Midway and in light of the changes in the Pacific War that followed. The D-class ships were supply and transport submarines based on the German U-155. They were to operate in waters where the enemy had a clear air advantage and to provide people, supplies and weapons to the Japanese garrisons in the Pacific. Originally, torpedoes of this type were not intended to be armed with torpedoes, but later the assumption was changed. The I-361 made its first transport voyage in August and September 1944, delivering supplies to the Wake, a voyage on such a route was also repeated in October of the same year. At the beginning of 1945, the ship was converted to host Kaiten-class live torpedoes. After modernization, the first I-361 combat mission was to support Japanese troops fighting in Okinawa. However, the mission was unsuccessful as I-361 was sunk east of the island by USS Anzio on-board aircraft on May 30, 1945.
