A new kind of submarine and appropriate usage

[el cid again]

Once upon a time, in the 1930s, Japan concieved the idea that a submarine might be a platform for special weapons. The ORIGINAL orignal design - not usually mentioned - was to be a midget submarine plaftorm. Japanese Submarine Captain by Orita is the first to say this in English - but a couple of reference books not also say so. The design was modified before ordering in 1942 so it was a seaplane or even flying boat tender - and I long wondered how to do that here? When completed it was modified still again - torpedo tubes removed - and it became a submarine tanker and transport - rather more capable than others.

In BBO family and in EOS family (except not in EEO or EBO) I have put in a sort of cross between the original designs called (SSAV).
It has an air group of 3 long range reconnaissance floatplanes and a Type A Midget submarine. [IRL you would support more planes - but above 3 in capacity you get cargo only and the sub refuses to support air operations] In CVO this is a transport sub. In EEO and EBO you get no exotics - just attack boats in their place. This is a compromise - IRL you EITHER got midgets OR planes - not both. Here you don't about half of each.

To use this unit correctly it should sail with air group DISEMBARKED - and air group (its own or some other - including flying boats - there is a 3 plane flying boat unit too) should fly to some dot location or port where the submarine has stopped. It then uses the planes - but when it leaves - the planes disembark again. Because it is not redesigned or disarmed or relegated to low priority for production it appears sooner in the scenarios that get it.

[el cid again]

The class designation is SH. The submarines really built were I-350 and I-351. You get both in EOS family. In BBO family you also get I-352 - which was planned but not built. [BBO is the war as planned - and while distant projections are usually not included - firm orders are - even if not laid down. The historical job number is included in such cases.]

I often wish I had a submarine able to play AVD - go there without so much risk of being sunk en route to or from. This is how to do that.

USN experimented with this in the 1930s - I have a picture of a PBY refueling from a submarine - but we didn't decide to implement it in operations. A lot of our ideas went this way. And some of them are in BBO. For example, seaplane tenders have catapults - becoming CVS - and even get special Marine air groups - complete with seaplane fighters.