Inside the Kaiten Kamikaze Submarine

The Kaiten was one of the special attack craft developed in Japan in the later years of WW2. A Kamikaze weapon, it was designed to take its pilot on a one-way trip. It was effectively an enlarged crewed torpedo, combining in its design engineering solutions typical for torpedoes and for midget submarines. I was the brainchild of two IJN officers who perished in their own creation. In some ways it was an impressive underwater craft, that could reach the fastest underwater speed for any crewed submersible at that time. The best of the best young of officers from the Navy underwent dangerous training, improving the design and tactics in the process. They were ordered to conduct training runs again and again only to be sent on fruitless missions in a futile attempt to 'turn the Heaven's will' and thwart Allied offensive.

00:00 Introduction
00:46 Hull: Part 1
03:06 BetterHelp
04:06 Hull: Part 2
05:28 Warhead
06:11 Engine and propulsion system
07:58 Pilot’s compartment
10:26 Transport of the submersible
11:07 Preparing for launch
11:55 Approaching the target
13:01 Conclusion

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[javidaderson]

I hope the irony of a online mental health service sponsoring a video about a suicide submarine is not lost on anyone.

[bloodonthesnow]

thanks to BetterHelp for sponsoring the suicide torpedo video

[sterling]

Legend has it that the last phone call from the pilot was to betterHelp.

[davidbruner]

My grandfather was assigned to the USS Underhill, one of the only two ships sunk by the Kaiten Kamikaze Subs, on July 24th, 1945. He was 1 or 125 survivors of the attack. He was literally blown of the deck of the ship and into the water, where he floated with the other survivors for hours before being rescued.

[MongolsWay]

It's CRAZY that the 2 designers of the Kaiten also died in combat piloting it. To engineer and then pilot your own suicides machine is S Tier devotion to a cause.

[tailsorange]

Just FYI: There are other channels using your video without your consent while utilizing a text-to-speech application to do a voice over over your video content

It's currently titled "Inside the Kaiten: The Secret World of Japan's Kamikaze Submarines" and it's uploaded by "Military Aviation History"

[coucoul]

"Sir, I don't think we'll be able to safely eject the pilot"
- "Fuck it we ball"

[_nigelgaming]

I smell another reupload after I got spooked by the betterhelp ad

[treemanog]

Betterhelp ad for a suicide torpedo 😂😂😂

[スコーピオン-py]

I am Japanese.
I have seen Kaiten at Yasukuni Shrine before.
It was bigger than ordinary torpedo. But I thought it was a little small when I thought of a human boarding it.
But at the same time, the cockpit of Zero-sen was also cramped, so it was probably just right for Japanese at that time.

[mikemair]

I am the author of the book "Kaiten" Japan's Secret Manned Suicide Submarine and the First American Ship it Sank in WWII. My father, John Mair, was a survivor. USS Mississinewa (AO-59) was hit by Sekio Nishina in the starboard #3 wing tank located forward of the bridge. The simulation shows Mississinewa being struck port side midships behind the bridge. Pronouncing "Mississinewa" can be a bit tricky, so here it is phonetically: miss-ih-SIN-uh-wah.

[vandarkholme]

Commend for the serious, calm tone of the video. Showing respect for such a grim topic.

[m]

Can´t get past the fact this fascinating design includes an expendable human as part of the mechanism.. the enthusiastic voiceover just adds to the creepiness. Excellent video though, as always

[jiyushugi]

Those interested in the kaiten should read 'Kaiten Special Attack Group, A Story of Stolen Youth', the autobiography of Yutaka Yokota. He gives sobering accounts of the brutality of IJN training, the dangers and challenges of learning to operate the kaiten, and vivid accounts of the missions he carried out and his remarkable tales of survival. This is a must read for anyone who wants to learn the true story of this fearsome weapon.

[mitchkelleher]

My grandfather was in the US Navy in WW2 and he told me about these when I was a kid as the things he feared most. Though there was plenty about kamikaze aircraft, I couldn't find anything about the subs until years later and now there's a 3D walkthrough of it!

[GTiR]

You have to admire the efficiency in a lot of ways. The Allies lost many men for the cause, they didn't voluntarily offer their lives, but knew the odds were against them and they were likely to die. The Japanese just confronted the issue and didn't leave the odds to chance.

[pinstripingbybear.]

@3:07 Good job BETTERHELP for Sponsoring the kamikaze AKA Suicide Torpedo video, my guess is the guys checked into BETTERHELPS prices and said I F it I will just take a ride in the Torpedo today! 🤘

[CmdrAlyx]

Its so refreshing to see an education channel that isn't run by an ai. We need more of this kind of stuff on youtube

[stonedtowel]

Thanks again David, these are easily Netflix level documentaries as always. Having this for free is truly a blessing of knowledge, you fucking rock dude.

[Yacello]

The Japanese were really diligent and creative at the kamikaze concept, I guess.