The Shin'yō (Japanese: 震洋, "Sea Quake") were Japanese suicide boats developed during World War II.
They were part of the wider Japanese Special Attack Units program.
Characteristics
These fast motorboats were driven by one man, to speeds of around 30 knots. They were typically equipped with two depth charges as explosives or a bow-mounted explosive charge. Those equipped with depth charges were not actually suicide boats, as the idea was to drop the depth charges and then turn around before the explosion took place. However, the wave from the explosion would probably have killed the crew, or at least swamped the boat.
Approximately 6,200 Shin'yō were produced for the Imperial Japanese Navy and 3,000 Maru-ni for the Imperial Japanese Army. Around 400 boats were transported to Okinawa and Formosa, and the rest were stored on the coast of Japan for the ultimate defense against the expected invasion of the Home islands.
Shinyo (suicide boat)
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