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 On this day in history the USS Tang (SS-306) is sunk by her own torpedo. USS Tang (SS-306) was a Second World War era Balao-class submarine. Balao-class submarines were true diesel-electric submarines; four diesel engines powered electrical generators and electric motors drove the shafts. There was no direct connection between the diesel engines and the shafts.
The USS Tang was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tang, a surgeonfish, especially the several West Indian species. She was commissioned on October 15th, 1943 under Lieutenant Commander Richard H. O'Kane, the top submarine captain of World War II.
The Tang sank a Japanese ship every 11 days on five patrols and rescued scores of US fliers who had been shot down in raids on Japanese ships and bases. During her third patrol, the Tang sank ten enemy merchant ships that totaled 39,160 tons. It was one of the most devastating attacks carried out against Japanese shipping during the war
On October 25th, during her fifth and final patrol, the submarine fell victim to her 24th and last torpedo. The torpedo malfunctioned by circling back and hitting the Tang, killing all but nine of her eighty-seven man crew. The nine survivors, including the commanding officer, were picked up the next morning by a Japanese destroyer escort. They spent the remainder of the war in prisoner of war camps.
The USS Tang was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on February 8th, 1945. She received four battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations for World War II service. Her commanding officer received the Medal of Honor for Tang's final action. Tang is credited with sinking 31 ships in her five patrols, totaling 227,800 tons and damaging two ships at a total of 4,100 tons; this record is unexcelled among American submarines.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tang_(SS-306)
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rokane.htm
http://www.csp.navy.mil/ww2boats/tang.htm
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