The Kaiten mission was Japan's last hope in holding back the Americans and turning the tides of the war, they made it extremely secret to the point the selected sailers didn't even know beforehand what they signed up for. Below is a diagram and description of kaiten.
Was Kaiten the only manned torpedo? No, Italy developed a manned torpedo name Maiale, or pig boat, in the early 1940s. Pig boat pilots could possibly escape after their mission or return to a safe place if they were detected. It was just Japanese made this weapon suicidal.
*Diagram of Maiale, or pig boat.
There were several different types made but type one Kaiten was the only type used in combat. Japanese had high hope in it, but it turned to be a failure for the sacrifice was way larger than what they actually accomplished. And the only type of Kaiten that was actually used was Type 1.
*Types of Kaiten and measurements
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*Two kaitens, side by side on a mother submarine. *A kaiten being lifted.
