Type-C Japanese Midget Submarine

A large three-man Type-C Japanese midget submarine rests in front of the visitor center.

War in the Pacific National Historical Park

Quick Facts

Location:

T. Stell Newman Visitor Center

Significance:

The last Type-C Japanese midget submarine in existence

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

In front of the T. Stell Newman Visitor Center at War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam stands the last Type-C Japanese midget submarine in existence.

The submarine was built in 1944 by Ourazaki at the Kure Naval Yard in Hiroshima prefecture. It was captured by the U.S. when it ran aground on Togcha Beach, near Ipan Talafofo, in August 1944, more than a week after the Battle of Guam ended. The Imperial Japanese sailors aboard held off American troops for three days before surrendering.

After it was captured, the submarine was gutted and displayed at Camp Dealey on Toghca Bay. When Camp Dealey closed in 1952, the submarine was moved to Naval Base Guam. It was transferred to its current location in 2008.

The submarine was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Type-C Midget Submarines

The Imperial Japanese Navy developed the midget submarine (Kō-hyōteki in Japanese) in secret throughout the 1930s to counteract the strength of the U.S. Navy. Five midget submarines took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The original intent was to deploy the midget submarines in the path of enemy fleets but ultimately, they were used for harbor attacks and coastal defense.

The Type-C midget submarine (Kō-hyōteki hei-gata in Japanese) was the second generation of midget submarine. Developed between 1942–1943, they were 81-feet long, weighed 49 tons, and were designed for a crew of three (two sailors and an engineer).

Unlike earlier Japanese midget submarines, Type-C subs were equipped with a 40hp/25kW diesel generator which could be used when running on the surface or to recharge the batteries. This allowed Type-C submarines to travel much further from their carrier than Type-A midget submarines.

The Type-C midget submarines could travel up to 120 sea miles at four knots and had a top speed of nineteen knots when submerged. They were armed with two bow mounted 17.7-inch torpedoes. Crew accommodations were cramped; the only place sailors could stand upright was in the sub's control room.

As many as forty-seven Type-C submarines were built, but only fifteen saw action during the war. Eight of them were sunk during battle. This is believed to be one of the seven not accounted for, and the only Type-C midget submarine still in existence.

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Sources:

Anthony J. Watts. Japanese Warships of World War II. New York: Doubleday & Company Inc., 1967.

Delgado, James P., and Hans Van Tilburg. The Lost Submarines of Pearl Harbor: The Rediscovery and Archaeology of Japan's Top-Secret Midget Submarines of World War II. Ed Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2016.

"Ha. 62-76 JAPANESE MIDGET ATTACK SUBMARINE." National Register of Historic Places Nomination. National Park Service, December 22, 1999.

Imperial Japanese Navy Page. "Type C-Class." Accessed February 10, 2025.

Itani, Jiro, Hans Lengerer, and Tomoko Rehm-Takahara. "Japanese Midget Submarines: Kō-Hyōteki Types A to C." In Warship 1993, edited by Robert Gardiner, 113–29. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1993.

Jentschura, Hansgeorg, Dieter Jung, and Peter Mickel. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1977.

Type-C Japanese Midget Submari...

11 Images

A torpedo-shaped Type-C Japanese midget submarine stands in front of the visitor center. It was captured by the U.S. when it ran aground on Togcha Beach, near Ipan Talafofo, in August 1944, more than a week after the Battle of Guam ended. It is believed to be the only Type-C midget submarine still in existence.