October 15, 2020

Japan names new "Taigei" (Big Whale) Submarine Class

The Japan Times reports on October 14, 2020, in MHI's Kobe shipyard, Japan launched and named the first of a new class of submarine. Following my September 29, 2020 prediction that "the New Class would likely be assigned a name of a Japanese mythological creature" this has occurred. 

The first submarine of class (and with it Class Name) has been named "Taigei" ("Big Whale") after the WWII submarine tender Taigei which was converted into the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryuho. 

See further details from the most succinct source Janes: https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/mhi-launches-first-of-new-class-of-submarines-for-jmsdf-equipped-with-lithium-ion-batteries

See Taigei, with further details, in the Table below.

Japanese Submarine Table as at October 14, 2020. 

SS
No.
Diesel Type
Motor
Build No
Name
Pennant
No.
MoF approved amount ¥
Billions FY
LABs, LIBs, AIP
Laid Down
Laun
-ched
Commi
ssioned
Built
By
5SS Oyashio

2 Toshiba motors
8105 Oyashio
currents
SS-590/ TS3608
¥52.2B FY1993
2 x 12V25/25S 
diesels for all
Oyashio class
(each diesel 
2,000kW)
LABs only
 Jan 1994
Oct 1996
Mar 1998
 KHI
6SS-15SS
Oyashios 
10 subs
2 Toshiba motors
SMC-7?
8106
-8115
various
SS-591-600
¥52.2B per sub
FY1994-FY2003
LABs only
 15SS Feb
2004
15SS
Nov
2006
15SS
Mar 2008
 MHI
&
KHI
16SS
Soryu/
Dragon
class  Mk I
8116
Sōryū
dragons
SS-501
¥60B FY2004 all Mk.1 LAB+AIP Soryus have 2 x Kawasaki 
12V25/25SB 
diesels may total
(6,000kW
sidebar)
see and + 4 AIP
SMC-8 motor
LABs + AIP
Mar 2005
Dec 2007
Mar
2009
MHI
17SS
8117
Unryū
SS-502
¥58.7B FY2005
LABs + AIP
Mar 2006
Oct 2008
Mar
2010
KHI
18SS
8118
Hakuryū
SS-503
¥56.2 FY2006
LABs + AIP
Feb 2007
Oct 2009
Mar
2011
MHI
19SS
8119
Kenryū
SS-504
¥53B FY2007
LABs + AIP
Mar 2008
Nov 2010
Mar
2012
KHI
20SS
8120
Zuiryū
SS-505
¥51B FY2008
LABs + AIP
Mar 2009
Oct 2011
Mar
2013
MHI
21SS LIBs Concept
Research
Project
No 21SS built. It was an 8 year research project on LIBs. 1st LIBs sub launched was 27SS in 2018.
   


22SS
8121
Kokuryū
SS-506
¥52.8B FY2010
LABs + AIP
Jan 2011
Oct 2013
Mar
2015
KHI
23SS
8122
Jinryu
SS-507
¥54.6B FY2011
LABs + AIP
Feb 2012
Oct 2014
7 Mar 2016
MHI
24SS
8123
Sekiryū
SS-508
¥54.7B FY2012
LABs + AIP
15 Mar 2013
2 Nov 2015
13 Mar 2017
KHI
25SS
8124
Seiryū
SS-509
¥53.1B FY2013
LABs + AIP
22 Oct 2013
12 Oct   2016
12 Mar 2018
MHI
26SS
8125
Shoryū
SS-510
¥51.7B FY2014
last SMC-8 motor
LABs + AIP
2014
6 Nov 2017
18 Mar 2019
KHI
27SS a Soryu
"Mk II" as it
has LIBs. 1st
Soryu Mk II 
8126
Oryū
11th
Soryu
SS-511
¥64.4B FY2015 
with 2 12V25/25SB diesels (totaling 4,200kW) 
SMC-8B motor
Soryu Mk IIs may have twice as many batteries as Mk Is, ie 960 LIB-arrays in Mk IIs, other improvements
LIBs only
(SLH type)
Nov
2015
4 Oct
2018
5 Mar
2020
MHI
28SS Soryu
Mk II, 12th &
final Soryu
8127
Toryu

SS-512
¥63.6B FY2016
still 12V25/25SB. 
"2,900t" surfaced
SLH
LIBs
Jan 2017
6 Nov  2019
Mar 2021?
KHI
29SS
First of new
class
Taigei
(Big Whale)
Class

Correlation of
Whales and
Ghosts in
Japanese
Mythology

8128
Taigei		SS-513
¥76B FY2017 (Heisei 29)
Higher ¥76B 
budget being
first of class
with  new
12V25/31S 
diesels
(2,500-
2,800kW?) 
and new Combat
System features.
SLH
LIBs
maybe
960
2017?

14 Oct
2020 		Mar 2022
MHI

30SS 
Second of
Taigei Class

SS-513
¥71.5B FY2018 
(Heisei 30)
12V25/31S
diesels
SLH
LIBs
2018?
2020?
2022?
MHI?
01SS? 
Third of 
Taigei Class
8029?
SS-514
¥B? FY2019 (Reiwa 01)
12V25/31S 
diesels
SLH
LIBs
maybe
960+
2019?
2021?
2023?
KHI?
02SS?  
Fourth of 
Taigei Class 
8030?
SS-515
¥B? FY2020 (Reiwa 02)
Improved SLH LIBS

2 x Diesels uprated
12V25/31S or newer
 (each likely 3,000+kW?)
Impro
ved SLH
LIBs
2020?
2022?
2024?
MHI?
03SS
8031?
SS-516
¥B? FY2021
LIBs 
2021?
2023?
2025?
KHI?
04SS
8032?
SS-517
¥B? FY2022
LIBs
2022?
2024?
2026?
MHI?
05SS 
8033?
SS-518
¥B? FY2023
LIBs
2023?
2025?
2027?
KHI?
06SS
8034?
SS-519
¥B? FY2024
LIBs 
2024?
2026?
2028?
MHI?
07SS 
8035?
SS-520
¥B? FY2025
LIBs
2025?
2027?
2029?
KHI?
08SS 
8036?
SS-521
¥B? FY2026

LIBs
2026?
2028?2030?
MHI?
Key to Table: Table information exclusively provided to Submarine Matters. LABs = lead-acid batteries, AIP = air independent propulsion, LIBs = Lithium-ion Batteries. 
¥***B = Billion Yen. MHI = Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, KHI = Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. 
---

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Pete
Structure image of 29SS ”Taigei”
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/takahashikosuke/20201014-00202968/
https://newsbyl-pctr.c.yimg.jp/r/iwiz-amd/20201014-00202968-roupeiro-000-11-view.jpg
Regards

10/15/2020 7:26 AM
Anonymous said...

Hi Pete
Overview of 29SS Taigei, Oct/14/2020, Japan Maritime Staff Office Public Affairs Office
https://newsbyl-pctr.c.yimg.jp/r/iwiz-amd/20201014-00202968-roupeiro-001-11-view.jpg
Regards


10/15/2020 7:47 AM
Anonymous said...

Hi Pete

720 LIBs (12 rows x 60 lines) in bottom decks and 240 LIBs (12 rows x 20 lines) in middle/double deck (total 960 LIBs) are loaded in 27SS (Oryu) and 28SS (Toryu).

960 LIBs (16 rows x 60 lines) in bottom decks are loaded in 29SS (Taigei) as suggested in http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2020/10/electrical-propulsion-costs-soryu-mk_5.html

Voltages of circuit are 480V, 432V and 576V for Soryu MKI, 27SS/28SS and 29SS, respectively.
Regards

10/15/2020 6:50 PM
Pete said...

Hi Anonymous

Thanks for your 3 comments above. Note that the October 15, 2020 at 6:50 PM comment uses your correction "240 LIBs (12 rows x 20 lines) in middle/double deck".

I will turn your comments and other information into another article on Taigei on Monday.

I wonder whether the Japanese language captions for the Taigei cutaway (at https://newsbyl-pctr.c.yimg.jp/r/iwiz-amd/20201014-00202968-roupeiro-001-11-view.jpg ) will be available in English?

Regards

Pete

10/15/2020 7:07 PM
Abao said...

TCM
Submarine Power Generators
Towed Array
Lithium Ion Battery
Submarine BMS
Side Array
Front Array
Torpedo Launchers
Non Penatrating Periscope
Floating Deck? Structure

10/17/2020 2:37 AM
wispywood2344 said...

Hi Pete and Anonymous.

According to the SMC-8B specification for Oryu, she is equipped with 640 LIB modules for the propulsion system.[1]
Considering Toryu's cutaway diagram, it's not surprising that Soryu mk2 could be equipped with more LIB modules.
In my opinion, this difference is due to the difficulty of changing the balance of mass & buoyancy distribution from Soryu mk1.

ATLA's lists of central procurement items suggest that the version of battery specification of Taigei is the same as Oryu and Toryu.[2][3][4]
So I guess that they have 640 battery modules respectively.

Note that the above cutaway diagram of Taigei is official one of the MoD, but it is not accurate.
There is an obvious copy & paste.[5]

[1]SMC-8B specification p.9
http://blog.livedoor.jp/wispywood2344/others/SMC-8B%20P_9_s.png
[2]FY27 ATLA central procurement item (ship)
https://warp.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/9586452/www.mod.go.jp/atla/souhon/supply/jisseki/choutatuyotei_pdf/27_tokukan.pdf#page=2
[3]FY28 ATLA central procurement item (ship)
https://warp.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/10249679/www.mod.go.jp/atla/souhon/supply/jisseki/choutatuyotei_pdf/33_kansen.pdf#page=2
[4]FY29 ATLA central procurement item (ship)
https://warp.da.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/11009104/www.mod.go.jp/atla/souhon/supply/jisseki/choutatuyotei_pdf/33_kansen.pdf#page=3
[5]http://blog.livedoor.jp/wispywood2344/others/29SS_cutaway.png

Regards

wispywood2344

10/17/2020 5:01 PM
Pete said...

Hi Anonymous and wispywood2344

Thanks for the battery information.

I have used it in the article of October 19, 2020 at http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2020/10/number-of-batteries-in-japans-new.html

Regards

Pete

10/20/2020 6:13 PM
Pete said...

Hi Abao, Anonymous and wispywood2344

Thankyou for the Taigei Cutaway information.

I've used it in the other October 19, 2020 article at http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2020/10/inside-japans-new-taigei-submarine-in.html

Cheers

Pete

10/20/2020 6:17 PM

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