Japanese submarine I-21
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan
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| Name: | I-21 |
| Builder: | Kawasaki shipyard, Kobe |
| Laid down: | 7 January 1939 |
| Launched: | 24 February 1940 |
| Completed: | 15 July 1941 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type B1 submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 108.6 m (356 ft) |
| Beam: | 9.3 m (31 ft) |
| Draft: | 5.14 m (16.9 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Test depth: | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Complement: | 94 officers and men |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 1 × Yokosuka E14Y floatplane |
I-21 (伊号第二一潜水艦 I-gō Dai Nijū-ichi sensui-kan?) was a Japanese Type B1 submarine which saw service during World War II in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She displaced 1,950 tons and had a speed of 24 knots (44 km/h). I-21 was the most successful Japanese submarine to operate in Australian waters, participating in the attack on Sydney Harbour in 1942 and sinking 44,000 tons of Allied shipping during her two deployments off the east coast of Australia.
The submarine was laid down on 7 January 1939 at the Kawasaki shipyard, Kobe, and launched on 24 February 1940. On 15 July 1941 she was completed, commissioned and assigned to Submarine Squadron 1's Submarine Division 3 in the Sixth Fleet. I-21 was based in the Yokosuka Naval District.
On 31 October 1941 Commander Matsumura Kanji was assigned as Commanding Officer, and on 10 November he attended a meeting of submarine commanders aboard the light cruiser Katori, convened by Vice Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu, to be briefed on the planned attack on Pearl Harbor.
I-21 departed Yokosuka on 19 November and sailed to the rendezvous at Hitokappu Bay, Etorofu, arriving on the 22nd, and departing on the 26th for the Hawaiian Islands, acting as a lookout ahead of the Carrier Striking Force. On 2 December 1941 the coded signal "Climb Mount Niitaka" was received, signifying that hostilities would commence on 8 December (Japan time). On 7 December 1941 I-21 was assigned to patrol north of Oahu, Hawaii.
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