USS Darter and USS Dace: The Palawan Passage Ambush Before Leyte Gulf

Before dawn on October 23, 1944, USS Darter and USS Dace intercepted Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita’s powerful Japanese Center Force in the Palawan Passage as it moved toward the Philippines and the coming Battle of Leyte Gulf. After hours of radar tracking and high-speed surface maneuvering, the two U.S. submarines positioned themselves ahead of the Japanese columns for a coordinated ambush. Darter sank Kurita’s flagship, the heavy cruiser Atago, and badly damaged Takao, while Dace sank the heavy cruiser Maya. But the story did not end with the successful attack: while pursuing the damaged Takao, Darter ran aground on Bombay Shoal, forcing Dace to abandon the hunt and rescue her entire crew. This documentary follows the tactics, navigation, decisions, and narrow margins that turned one submarine patrol into both a major American victory and the loss of USS Darter. Sources: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/libr... https://www.history.navy.mil/research/hist... https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/lead... https://www.history.navy.mil/research/hist... https://www.history.navy.mil/content/histo... #USSDarter #USSDace #BattleOfLeyteGulf #PalawanPassage #WWII #WorldWarII #PacificWar #USNavy #SubmarineWarfare #NavalHistory #Atago #Maya #Takao