USS Tang: America's Deadliest WWII Submarine's Tragic End

Commander O'Kane's Daring Strategy

• 💡 Lieutenant Commander Richard O'Kane adopted maverick tactics from his mentor, Dudley Morton, emphasizing attacking from inside convoys rather than around them.
• 🎯 The USS Tang proved highly capable, sinking five ships with 16 torpedoes on her first war patrol, achieving a perfect score.
• 🚀 During her third patrol in the Yellow Sea, O'Kane's bold approach led to four ships ablaze in less than 90 seconds, destroying 16,292 tons of Japanese shipping and rewriting submarine warfare doctrine.

Unprecedented Success in the Pacific

• 📈 The Tang's third patrol concluded with 10 ships sunk and 39,000 tons destroyed, marking it as the most successful patrol in US submarine history.
• ⚓ Despite Admiral Lockwood offering a shore position, O'Kane insisted on one more patrol, leading to her fourth successful mission near Japanese home waters.
• ⚠️ For her final patrol, 24 Mark 18 electric torpedoes were loaded, known for being wakeless and deadly but carrying a minuscule, less than 1% risk of a circular run.

The Fatal Final Mission

• 🌊 On October 10th, 1944, near Formosa, the Tang began her final patrol, quickly sinking two freighters in a textbook attack.
• 🔥 On October 23rd, O'Kane faced his largest convoy yet, destroying five ships in 90 seconds under cover of night, including three tankers and a transport.
• 💥 The final attack on October 25th saw five more ships destroyed with 23 torpedoes, achieving 22 hits, leaving only one torpedo remaining.
• 🚨 The last Mark 18 torpedo, fired at a charging destroyer, broached and looped back, striking the Tang three feet below the waterline and causing her to sink in 45 seconds.

Survival and Enduring Captivity

• 🌊 Out of 87 men, only nine survived the sinking, including O'Kane, floating in oil-slicked water.
• ⛓️ The survivors were captured by the Japanese destroyer Tachakazi and subjected to hours of beatings before enduring 10 months of brutal captivity at the Ofuna interrogation center.
• 🎗️ Liberated in August 1945, Richard O'Kane was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman in 1946 for his bravery.

A Legacy Forged in War

• 🏆 The USS Tang's final record was reanalyzed, confirming 33 ships sunk and 116,454 tons destroyed, solidifying her status as the most successful US submarine in history.
• 🚢 O'Kane continued to serve, command, and teach, with the USS O'Kane (DDG-77) later named in his honor, carrying on his legacy.
• ⚓ The USS Tang remains a steel tomb in the Formosa Strait, a testament to the courage, cunning, and sacrifice of her crew.