Japanese Couldn't Believe One American Submarine Sank 33 Ships in 9 Months - USS Tang's Record

USS Tang (SS-306) was the most successful American submarine of World War Two, sinking thirty three enemy ships totaling one hundred sixteen thousand tons in just five war patrols between January and October nineteen forty four. Commanded by Medal of Honor recipient Richard O'Kane, Tang conducted devastating attacks against Japanese shipping in the Pacific, including a record-breaking third patrol that destroyed ten ships in thirty six days. On June twenty four, nineteen forty four, Tang sank four Japanese cargo vessels in a single attack, demonstrating the lethal effectiveness of American submarine warfare. Operating in the dangerous waters near Japan, the East China Sea, and the Formosa Strait, Tang's highly trained crew executed aggressive tactics that helped strangle Japan's supply lines and contributed decisively to Allied victory. The submarine's remarkable career ended tragically on October twenty five, nineteen forty four, when her final torpedo malfunctioned and struck Tang herself, sinking the boat in one hundred eighty feet of water. Of the eighty seven crew members aboard, seventy eight perished and nine survived, including Commander O'Kane, who spent ten months as a prisoner of war before being liberated and awarded the nation's highest military honor. This documentary explores Tang's extraordinary combat record, innovative tactics, the courage of her crew, and the legacy of the deadliest submarine in United States naval history.