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After unrestricted submarine warfare began in February 1915, any ship could be sunk unexpectedly from the heavy underwater hull damage inflicted by torpedoes. Many large ships sank without their crews being able to alert friendly forces in time, and the submarines which sank them were too small to rescue more than a few survivors. [1]
In World War II, the United States Navy used submarines heavily. Overall, 263 US submarines undertook war patrols, [2] claiming 1,392 ships and 5,583,400 tons during the war. [3] [a] Submarines in the United States Navy were responsible for sinking 540,192 tons or 30% of the Japanese navy and 4,779,902 tons of shipping, or 54.6% of all Japanese shipping in the Pacific Theater.
Seventy-seven Gato-class submarines were built during World War II, commissioned from November 1941 through April 1944. [1] The class was very successful in sinking Japanese merchant ships and naval vessels: the top three US submarines in tonnage sunk were Gatos, along with three of the top seven in number of ships sunk. [2]
Sunk by U-boat Sunk by aircraft Sunk by warship or raider Sunk by mines Total Allied shipping sunk German submarines lost Sep. '39 3297070 153879 0 5051 29537 158930 2 Oct. '39 3576135 134807 0 32058 29490 166865 5 Nov. '39 4408689 51589 0 1722 120958 53311 1 Dec. '39 4466664 80881 2949 22506 82712 106336 1 Jan. '40 4847044 111263
These submarines sank two Japanese merchant ships and damaged four others, but three of the attackers were sunk. The two surviving Dutch submarines were withdrawn to defend the DEI where they were assisted by two British submarines, which had been transferred from the Mediterranean Fleet, and several U.S. boats. [38]
This was unequaled among American submarines. Postwar comparison with Japanese records by the Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) reduced this to 24 ships, totaling 93,824 tons, placing her second on the list for ships sunk after USS Tautog (with 26) and fourth behind USS Flasher, Rasher, and Barb for total confirmed tonnage. [34]
USS Flasher (SS-249) was a Gato-class submarine which served in the Pacific during World War II.She received the Presidential Unit Citation and six battle stars, and sank 21 ships for a total of 100,231 tons of Japanese shipping, making her one of the most successful American submarines of the War.
USS Silversides (SS/AGSS-236) is a Gato-class submarine, the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the silversides.. Silversides was one of the most successful submarines in the Pacific Theater of World War II, with 23 confirmed sinkings, totalling more than 90,000 long tons (91,444 t) of shipping.