How USS Sealion Sank the Japanese Battleship Kongō in a Night Surface Attack

On November 21, 1944, USS Sealion (SS-315), commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Eli Reich, used radar to intercept a Japanese task force in the Formosa Strait, maneuvered into a daring night surface attack, and fired torpedoes that struck the battleship Kongō while another torpedo sank the destroyer Urakaze. Kongō initially kept moving at high speed, forcing Sealion into a dangerous pursuit through worsening seas until progressive flooding reduced the battleship’s speed and a massive internal explosion sent her down. This documentary breaks down the radar tracking, attack geometry, destroyer screen, damage-control crisis, and hours-long chase behind one of the most remarkable U.S. submarine actions of World War II. Sources: https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/lead... https://www.history.navy.mil/research/hist... https://www.history.navy.mil/today-in-hist... https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-histo... #USSSealion #Kongo #WWII #WorldWarII #PacificWar #USNavy #SubmarineWarfare #NavalHistory #JapaneseNavy #Battleship #WW2History #MilitaryHistory