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SR-II "Ro-Go" (Suiriku-Ryoyo II)

As the need for such an amphibious vehicle continued, the army approached Ishikawajima, who had successfully built the half-armored car and had also developed an amphibious version of their Type 92 heavily armored vehicle. Although both projects were not launched intor production, the results of the vehicle tests were very valuable for further development. Thus, under the name amphibious tank SR II a completely new vehicle was created. Officially, the name of the tank was the SR-II "Ro-Go" (Suiriku-Ryoyo II - Suiriku-Ryoyo = amphibious). The basis was taken British export amphibious tank Vickers A4E11 / A4E12. The requirements of the military command at this time were to ensure that the new amphibian tank weighed no more than 7,000 kg, was equipped with 10 mm armor and was armed with two 6.5 mm machine guns.

As a result, the engineers of Ishikawajima created a tank that was completely different from its predecessor. First of all, the chassis was different - now it consisted of three road wheels with a front drive wheel and one supporting roller. In fact, most of the undercarriage elements were borrowed from a HaGo tank. The two front wheels were housed on either side of a flywheel and cushioned by a coil spring arranged horizontally between them. The rear wheel was stored accordingly and cushioned against the tub. The drive was via the front arranged drive wheel. Two differently sized support wheels and the rear wheel completed the drive. The drive in the water took place via two propellers of 500 mm diameter at the rear of the vehicle. Each was controlled by a rudder behind the propellers.

The amphibian hull was a riveted-welded structure made of 10-mm steel sheets. The bow was steeply sloped down, almost flat at the top. This achieved a usable sea condition. A splash shield was half sunk in the bow armor installed. This was designed as a plate that could be moved up and down before the actual bow. In the riveted lower part of the structure air chambers were incorporated in front and on the sides, which provided the necessary boost for the almost 7 t vehicle.

The engine was installed in the rear. As to how it was equipped with an engine, information has not been preserved, but it is assumed that it was a 6-cylinder Mitsubishi gasoline engine with 110 hp capacity. The tank moved along the water with the help of a propeller in the rear. The exhaust gases were ejected via two mufflers right and left on the rear. The tailpipes were bent upwards.

The design was due to the desire to accommodate a crew of three people in the tank and install side boxes that would perform the function of additional floats. The three-man crew crowded in the vehicle center. To the right sat the driver-mechanic, on the left the driver-gunner, whose window with a Type-91 6.5 mm MG in standard ball-type front protruded and thus the driver took the view to the left. Both were each a dome-like, quadrangular exit hatch with rounded corners. The upper part of the structure and the turret were welded. Behind the driver and gunner, the commander stood in the center of the turret. In the octagonal turret he had a type 91 6.5 mm MG in standard spherical aperture available. On the turret front was a bulge for better usability of the MG and behind an observation dome left, which could be opened to the front. For better battlefield observation, five windows were installed in the turret, one each to the right and left front, right and left side and rear.

Behind the turret, a hatch was installed to make it easier to leave or enter the tank in the water. Combat space ventilation was via protected feeds in the upper area of the rear structure below the turret.

Several vehicles were built and tested intensively. This was to proven the drive and floating drive. However, the performance was considered too low. In addition, the armament did not correspond to the ideas of the army leadership, who would like to have seen an armor-piercing weapon in the turret. Besides, the armor seemed too weak. It was decided to rework the vehicles again.

The SR-II tests were carried out for two years. As a result, it surpassed the predecessor in speed and controllability, but the military again rejected the project, finding the tank’s weapons too weak. The prototype was left in Manchuria, where in August 1945 it was captured by Soviet troops. The Soviet command did not study the trophy amphibian, and the Ro-Go SR-II was sent for scrapping. Another vehicle was shipped to the United States after the war, where it was scrapped.