Armament centered on 4 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes at the bow seated in pairs, two launchers to a hull side. There were ten total reloads which limited the number of "spreads" the boat could put out. For surface work, I-201 was granted the services of 2 x 25mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) cannons, one mounted on a pedestal fore of the sail and the other in a similar mounting aft of the sail. Both 25mm mounts retracted into the hull when traveling to aid in streamlining the vessel.
I-201 was laid down on March 1st, 1944 and launched on July 22nd of that year, finally completed on February 2nd, 1945. I-202 followed with her keel laid down on May 1st, 1944 and being launched on September 2nd, 1944. She was completed on February 12th, 1945. I-203 was laid down on June 1st, 1944 and launched on September 20th, 1944. She was completed on May 29th, 1945.
I-204, I-205, and I-206 were launched in December 1944, February 1945 and March 1945 respectively but never completed. I-207 and I-208 had their construction begin in 1944 and 1945 respectively but were not launched before war's end.
With superb speed, diving capabilities and a healthy endurance window, I-201-class would have proven a fearsome opponent in the hands of a proper captain and capable crew - particularly in large numbers had they been available. However, the war in the Pacific ended before the vessel could be put to good use and the design was eventually claimed by conquering Americans who sent it back to Hawaii for extensive testing of its capabilities and systems.
I-201 was eventually sunk as a target off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii during 1946. I-202 was scuttled at the Goto Islands in April 1946. I-203 was sunk as a target, also off the Hawaiian coast in May of 1946. The hulk of I-201 was only recently discovered in 2009.
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