Japanese Submarine I-52 (1943) - Valuable Cargo

Valuable Cargo

She is also known as Japan's "Golden Submarine", because she was carrying a cargo of gold to Germany as payment for matériel and technology. There has been speculation that a peace proposal to the Allies was contained on board the I-52 as well, but this is unlikely on two counts: there is no evidence of the Japanese government being interested in peace proposals or negotiated settlements at this stage in the war, and the Japanese kept an open dialogue with their diplomatic attachés via radio and diplomatic voucher through Russia, and had no need for long and uncertain transfer via a submarine bound for a Nazi-controlled area of western Europe.

Also interesting is that 800 kg (1,000-lbs) of uranium oxide awaited I-52 for her return voyage at Lorient according to Ultra decrypts. It has been speculated that this was for the Japanese to develop a radiological weapon (a so-called "dirty bomb") for use against the United States (the amount of unenriched uranium oxide would not have been enough to create an atomic bomb, though if used in a nuclear reactor it could have created poisonous fission products).

She was also to be fitted with a snorkel device at Lorient. In addition, 35 to 40-tons of secret documents and drawings and strategic cargo awaited for I-52's return trip to Japan: T-5 acoustic torpedoes, a Jumo 213-A motor used on the long-nosed FW-190D fighter, radars, vacuum tubes, ball bearings, bombsights, chemicals, alloy steel, and optical glass.