Re: OT: Sen Toku
 

As I understood it, the Japanese weren't developing the atomic weapon themselves, but were instead depending on an arrangement of some kind with the Germans for it.

Admittedly it would've required more time than either side ultimately had, but the concept itself was a scary one.

As for the commonality of Japanese sub-carriers, the Sen Toku clearly steps outside of that mold in size, purpose of design, and military intent.

Re: OT: Sen Toku
 

One of my naval books has the declared objective of the sub to put the Panama canal out of service. No nukes needed, just a bomb or two on the locks and the shipyards of the east coast take a lot longer to get to the pacific.

Re: OT: Sen Toku
 

Well, if everybody had followed Yamamoto's original plan for the attack of Pearl Harbor, the Panama canal would have already been out of service. But because the third wave of planes weren't lauched and didn't take out the dry dock facilities and teh fuel tanks, the US was quicker at fixing their fleet than the admiral had anticipated. He had planned for the Japs to be at Panama within 6 months after Pearl Harbor. Thankfully, his plans went awry.