I-202 was one of only three I-200 class submarine

I-200 class submarine

The were submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. These submarines were of advanced design, built for high underwater speed, and were known as or...

s of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 to be completed during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The I-200 class were of advanced design, and had been built for high underwater speed. They were the fastest operational submarines built during World War II, surpassing even the German Type XXI submarine

German Type XXI submarine

Type XXI U-boats, also known as "Elektroboote", were the first submarines designed to operate primarily submerged, rather than as surface ships that could submerge as a means to escape detection or launch an attack.-Description:...

s.

Service history

Launched on 2 September 1944, I-202 was the second I-200 class submarine to be completed, on 12 February 1945.

After a battery charging operation which attempted to reduce the time taken by using higher current, I-202 suffered explosions in her battery compartments which ruined 500 battery cells and damaged her pressure hull. In June 1945 I-202 was in Kure Naval yard for repairs to her pressure hull, and to replace her ruined batteries. When the work was nearly completed, an air raid warning was given and Captain Imai decided to sail immediately. I-202 had reached the open sea when bombing of the base began, but as it was unable to dive it was hit on the aft deck by strafing aircraft.

I-204 was sunk as result of the raid and it was decided to evacuate to Maizuru, Kyoto

Maizuru, Kyoto

is a city located in Kyōto, Japan, on an inlet of the Sea of Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 89,626 and the density of 264 persons per km². The total area is .The city was founded on May 27, 1943....

. A convoy of 35 small cargo vessels, some minesweepers, and five submarines including I-202 and I-201 left Kure at the end of June to run the Kanmon Straits

Kanmon Straits

The Kanmon Straits or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshū side of the water is Shimonoseki and on the Kyūshū side is Kitakyūshū, whose former city and present ward, Moji , gave the strait its "mon"...

 by night. I-202 made the dangerous passage surfaced, on battery power, with the entire crew except for essential personnel assembled on the top deck and forbidden to move.

I-202s repairs were completed at Maizuru and she resumed training and embarked a load of torpedoes.

At the end of July the Staff of the Sixth Fleet

IJN 6th Fleet

The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, primarily responsible for command of submarine operations.-History:The IJN 6th Fleet was formed on 15 November 1940, and was assigned general control of all Japanese submarine operations...

 held a conference at which Captain Imai was present. It was decided to sail to the Pacific Ocean in early August by way of Yokosuka. However, when Imai returned to Maizuru on 31 July 1945 the port was under heavy attack by carrier-based aircraft. Despite spending the raid submerged, I-202 had suffered slight damage, its periscope being destroyed and some of its casing plates penetrated by splinters. This damage meant that the planned operation could not be conducted, and the submarine had to wait for a new periscope to arrive.

While I-202 was waiting at Maizuru, the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima

Hiroshima

is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...

 and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, while Maizuru was under constant threat of air attack.

On 15 August the war ended with the surrender of Japan

Surrender of Japan

The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...

 but two days later I-202 sailed with the I-201, I-121, Ro-500 and one other submarine and deployed in a line 150 mi (241.4 km) off Vladivostok

Vladivostok

The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...

. The Sixth Fleet staff ordered them on several occasions to return to Maizuru, and on 22 August a staff officer flew in to Maizuru to stress the importance of the order. The submarines finally returned to Maizuru on 24 August after destroying their radios and other equipment, and in October sailed to Sasebo

Sasebo, Nagasaki

is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...

 where they and their sister ship I-203 were taken out of service on 30 November and handed over to the Occupation Forces.

Postwar

I-202 was scheduled to be delivered to Britain, but the USSR were also strongly interested in acquiring it, and it was eventually sunk by the US Navy off the Gotō Islands

Goto Islands

The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.- Geography :There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands:,,,, and....

on 5 April 1946 to avoid trouble between Britain and the USSR.