The Submarine That Sank Itself: The Unbelievable WWII Story of USS Tang

The Legendary USS Tang

• ⚓ The USS Tang (SS-306) was a cutting-edge Balao-class submarine, commissioned in 1943, measuring 311 feet and armed with 10 torpedo tubes and 24 torpedoes.
• 🧠 Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Richard O'Kane, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, who transitioned to submarines in 1938.
• 💡 O'Kane developed his aggressive submarine tactics as executive officer aboard the USS Wahoo, mentored by Lieutenant Commander Dudley "Mush" Morton.

Record-Breaking War Patrols

• 🚀 The Tang's first patrol in early 1944 resulted in five ships sunk, including the troop transport Fukuyama Maru carrying 3,200 Japanese soldiers.
• 👏 During her second patrol, the Tang performed lifeguard duty, rescuing an unprecedented 22 downed American aviators near Truk, earning a Presidential Unit Citation.
• 🎯 The third patrol was the most devastating, sinking 10 ships (39,100 tons) in a single attack, a record for American submarines, though one ship tragically carried British and Dutch POWs.
• 🔥 The fourth patrol continued the Tang's success, sinking multiple ships, including the 8,135-ton transport Sukushi Maru, in Japanese home waters.

The Fatal Fifth Patrol

• ⚠️ For her fifth and final patrol, O'Kane chose the heavily patrolled and dangerous Taiwan Strait.
• ⚡ On October 23rd, 1944, the Tang engaged a massive, heavily escorted Japanese convoy in a daring surface attack, sinking multiple targets.
• 💥 The 24th and final torpedo, a Mark 18 electric torpedo, malfunctioned, making an erratic circular run back towards the Tang.

Catastrophe and Survival

• 🌊 The rogue torpedo struck the Tang's stern, causing a catastrophic explosion and rapid sinking to 180 feet.
• ⚓ Commander O'Kane and eight other men on the bridge were thrown clear of the submarine, surviving the initial blast.
• 🧩 Approximately 40 men trapped in the forward compartments attempted to escape using the Mommsen lung, a basic underwater rebreather.
• ✅ Only five men successfully escaped from the sunken submarine, making them the only Americans to achieve an unassisted combat escape from a sunken submarine.

Ordeal as Prisoners of War

• ⛓️ The nine survivors, including O'Kane, were captured by Japanese forces and immediately subjected to beatings and torture.
• 🏥 They endured 10 months of brutal conditions, starvation, and abuse in Japanese POW camps, including the infamous Ofuna interrogation center and Amorei prison camp.
• 🗽 The survivors were finally liberated by American forces on August 29th, 1945, after Japan's surrender.

Legacy of Courage and Tragedy

• 🎖️ Richard O'Kane was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism and leadership during the Tang's final patrol.
• 🏆 The USS Tang became the most successful American submarine of World War II, sinking 33 enemy ships, totaling over 116,000 tons.
• 🔬 The defective Mark 18 electric torpedo highlighted systemic issues with US Navy torpedoes, leading to intensified efforts to fix them after the Tang's loss.
• 🕊️ The Tang's story is a powerful testament to the high cost and heroism of submarine warfare, with 78 men lost and the submarine resting as a war grave in the Taiwan Strait.