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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.

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.