The Submarine That Sank Itself: The Tragic Final Mission of USS Tang

Legendary Submarine and Commander

• 💡 The USS Tang, a Balau-class submarine with 87 men, became legendary under Commander Richard O'Kane, who learned aggressive tactics from Dudley Morton.
• 🎯 O'Kane's strategy involved closing with the enemy at minimum distance and using night surface attacks for guaranteed torpedo hits.
• 🚀 Built in 1943, Tang was a modern submarine, 312 ft long, carrying 24 torpedoes, and capable of 20 knots on the surface.

Perilous Pacific Warfare

• ⚠️ Life aboard was cramped and challenging, with stale air, constant readiness, and strict routines for the three watches.
• 🌊 Early American torpedoes, like the Mark 14, were temperamental with numerous defects, though improvements were made by Tang's deployment.
• ⚓ Tang operated in dangerous waters, including the Yellow Sea, where shallow depths limited evasion from anti-submarine vessels.

Unprecedented Success

• 📈 Across four patrols, Tang achieved remarkable success, sinking numerous Japanese vessels by employing O'Kane's aggressive, close-range tactics.
• 🛠️ The crew, especially the torpedo men, developed exceptional efficiency, reducing torpedo reloading times to just 10 minutes.
• 🔥 O'Kane perfected night attack tactics, using the submarine's low silhouette to infiltrate convoys and fire all torpedoes rapidly.

Tragic Final Mission

• 📌 During its fifth patrol in the Formosa Strait in October 1944, Tang targeted Japanese convoys crucial for their war effort.
• 💥 On October 24th, after successfully hitting multiple targets, Tang fired its 23rd torpedo, which malfunctioned, circled back, and struck the submarine's stern.
• 🌊 The explosion caused Tang to sink rapidly in 180 feet of water, leading to the immediate death of 78 men.

Survival and Legacy

• 🎗️ Nine survivors, including Commander O'Kane, were rescued by Japanese forces and endured brutal captivity in POW camps until August 1945.
• 🎖️ O'Kane was awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership, though he carried the burden of the loss of his crew.
• 🚢 The USS Tang is remembered as one of the most successful American submarines of WWII, with its wreckage serving as a war grave in the Taiwan Strait.