Role of the Submarine In World War II

The U.S. Submarine Force during World War II, composed of about 50,000 men, including staffs and backup personnel, represented less than 2 percent of the U. S. Navy's total manpower. Of this number, only 16,000 men actually made war patrols on submarines. This small force by wars end, inflicted a staggering blow to the enemy.

To the Submarine Force fell the major portion of the task of intercepting Japanese naval forces, and stopping Japan's 6,000,000 tons of enemy merchant shipping. This little-publicized, unremitting campaign of attrition by the "dolphin Navy" was to sever Japan's logistics which in turn virtually starved Japan into submission. 

By war's end, this small elite volunteer force sank 214 Japanese Naval Vessels, about a third of all Japanese warships destroyed, including a battleship, eight aircraft carriers, 15 cruisers, 42 destroyers and 23 enemy submarines. Add to this number 1,113 Japanese merchant ships (with an additional 65 probable), over one-half of its merchant marine shipping. This highly successful campaign would elevate the Submarine Service to an important place in our Fleet.

However, U.S. submarines performed a plethora of other critical jobs as well. They carried supplies to beleaguered Corregidor, supplied and reinforced the guerrillas in the Philippines, evacuated key military personnel, and performed many valuable reconnaissance missions. But submarines contributed to the war effort in another arena the "Submarine Lifeguard League."

The Submarine Lifeguard League was started in 1943 and continued to the close of the war. Submarines on War Patrol were specifically assigned to areas for given periods of time, to support Army and Navy Air Operations in the Pacific Theater. The endeavors of eighty-six (86) submarines and their crews, under great risk to their boats, and to the safety of their officers and crews, managed an astounding rescue of 504 downed Aviators. While the number of Aviators rescued by each submarine varies from boat to boat, there were 31 Aviators whose luck boat was the USS TIGRONE (SS-419), another 22 Aviators were rescued by the USS TANG (SS-306), and for 21 Aviators it was the USS RAY (SS-271). The most prominent of those being, when the USS FINBACK (SS-230) rescued then, Lt.(j.g.) George W. Bush, who would later become our 41st President.

These 504 Aviators survived to fight again because of Submarine Lifeguard Duty an enterprise which started as a little extra duty to assist the air forces of the Army and Navy and developed into one of the major tasks assigned to U.S. submarines.

But seldom, if ever in history, has so small a naval force accomplished so much.  American submarines were to be second to no other service branch in their contributions to victory.  But these accomplishments came with a heavy price. Fifty-two (52) out of 288 American submarines were lost. Of the 52 submarine losses, two were lost in the Atlantic, the remaining 48 were lost as the direct or indirect result of action during combat operations. Of these, thirty-seven submarines went down with all hands.

Among these losses were the R-12, a coastal submarine built in World War I; six early S-class submarines, the S-26, S-27, S-28, S-36, S-39 and S-44, built after World War I; and 45 submarines of the more modern fleet-type the ALBACORE, AMBERJACK, ARGONAUT, BARBEL, BONEFISH, BULLHEAD, CAPELIN, CISCO, CORVINA, DARTER, DORADO, ESCOLAR, FLIER, GOLET, GRAYBACK, GRAYLING, GRAMPUS, GRENADIER, GROWLER, GRUNION, GUDGEON, HARDER, HERRING, KETE, LAGARTO, PERCH, POMPANO, PICKEREL, RUNNER, ROBALO, SCAMP, SCORPION, SCULPIN, SEALION, SEAWOLF, SHARK, SHARK II, SNOOK, SWORDFISH, TANG, TRIGGER, TRITON, TROUT, TULLIBEE, and WAHOO.

Over 3,500 men went down with these submarines their epitaph written in the words "OVERDUE AND PRESUMED LOST."

The U.S. Submarine Force suffered the highest percentage of lives sacrificed in all branches of the United States military service. Of the 16,000 men who served on these submarines, one out of every four men in the submarine service were lost. Yet, their courage in the face of danger remains unchallenged.

In speaking of those valiant submariners, Vice Admiral C. A. Lockwood, Jr., Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, (January 1943 - January 1946), in a speech given in Cleveland, on Navy Day 1945, adds this final note: "As to the 374 officers and 3,131 men of the Submarine Force who gave their lives in the winning of this war, I can assure you that they went down fighting and that their brothers who survived them took a grim toll of our savage enemy to avenge their deaths."

Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December, 1941, with the main portion of the Pacific Fleet now in ruins, President Roosevelt appointed Admiral Earnest J. King, U.S.N., Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet with Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Admiral Thomas C. Hart, U.S.N., to command the Asiatic Fleet, Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., U.S.N., as Commander South Pacific Force and South Pacific area under Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, U.S.N., who was making a secret flight from Washington to Pearl Harbor. 

Interestingly enough, it was as a young Lieutenant in 1912, that Nimitz had forecast the submarine's future: "The steady development of the torpedo together with the gradual improvement in the size, motive power and speed of submarine craft of the near future will result in a most dangerous offensive weapon, and one which will have a large part in deciding fleet actions." By wars end, Nimitz had command of some five thousand ships and two million men --amounting to more military power than had been wielded by all the commanders in all previous wars.  However, when the war began such was not the case.  The U.S. Pacific Fleet was in ruins.  Nimitz was later to comment that: "It was to the Submarine Force, that I looked to carry the load until our great industrial activity could produce the weapons we so sorely needed to carry the war to the enemy."

On the morning of December 31, 1941, on the deck of the submarine USS GRAYLING (SS-209), Nimitz hoisted his four-star flag on the mast of that submarine thereby assuming command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.  Nimitz, like admirals King and Hart were veterans of our nation's undersea service. There is a sort of grim symbolism in the fact that Admiral Nimitz took command of the Pacific Fleet aboard a submarine. Though the new Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) was an old submariner, the choice was not just a matter of sentiment.  The hard fact was that at this time the suitable surface combatant ships were on the bottom of the ocean floor or en route to the West Coast for repairs.  When Admiral Nimitz assumed command of the Pacific Fleet, submarines were already at sea arranging for the Imperial Navy's epitaph "death from below."

After the war, when Admiral Nimitz relinquished command, this time with any ship to chose from in the fleet, he took down his flag aboard the submarine MENHADEN.  "It was to the Submarine Force," stated Nimitz, "that I looked to carry the load until our great industrial activity could produce the weapons we so sorely needed to carry the war to the enemy.  It is to the everlasting honor and glory of our submarine personnel that they never failed us in our days of great peril."

Despite these losses, when the "Cease Fire" order was sent on August 15, a ring of submarines already surrounded Japan. Within two weeks, the submarines ARCHERFISH, CAVALLA, GATO, HADDO, HAKE, MUSKALLUNGE, PILOTFISH, RAZORBACK, RUNNER II, SEGUNDO, SEACAT, and TIGRONE were found inside Tokyo Bay along side the submarine tender PROTEUS to witness the Nimitz's historic signing of the surrender instrument aboard the battleship MISSOURI. 

The exploits of our World War II Submarine Force are a source of legend, pride, and legacy.  To seven of these submariners went our nation's highest military award for "gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty," the Medal of Honor; two posthumously.

On the deck of the submarine Grayling, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz assumes command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 31, 1941.

U.S. submarines immediately took the battle to the enemy's  doorstep

USS Sealion (SS-195)

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