After decades of searching for their father, Lieutenant Commander Mannert “Jim” Abele, three brothers discovered that his World War II submarine, the USS Grunion. Sometimes the torpedo would circle around instead of shooting straight, risking the submarine that fired it.

It wasn’t until early 1944 that all the fixes were implemented for the Mark 14, and it because a reliable weapon.Īnother flaw in the Mark 14 proved deadly for some American submariners. Electrical switches were installed instead of magnetic switches. After more testing and tinkering, the Navy replaced the faulty firing mechanisms. The contact exploder had major design flaws, causing lots of duds. Once submariners began disabling the Mark 6 exploder (with official approval granted June 24, 1943), they started having more successful hits. The magnetic exploders were triggered too soon, before reaching the enemy vessel. This impacted the successful detonations. Where the Navy did its very limited field testing, the Earth’s magnetic field was different from where the actual fighting took place. The Mark 6 exploder was magnetic, based on a German design used in World War I and more recent British designs. The premature detonations might have been due to the Mark 6 exploder, one of the components of the torpedoes. Once the depth problem was resolved (by setting the depth to zero) premature detonations and “dud” firings increased. Torpedoes needed to explode beneath enemy ships, where there was little to no armor to protect them. Even with perfect set up, many of the Mark 14 submarine-launched torpedoes would miss their targets and ended up about 10 feet below their target depth. Unfortunately, some of the torpedoes had reoccurring problems. The US Mark 14 torpedoes were the main ones fired from submarines during World War II. The US Navy Submarine Service had the highest casualty percentage of any American forces in the War: about 20%. In World War II, 52 US submarines were lost, with a total of 3,506 officers and enlisted men killed. The American success came at a cost, though. submarines destroyed 1,314 enemy warships in the Pacific, representing 55% of all Axis power warships lost and a total of 5.3 million tons of shipping.” German U-boats were predominantly used in the Atlantic.Īccording to Naval historian Gary E. American submarines were primarily used in the Pacific Ocean, with minimal action in the Atlantic Ocean. American submarines had the largest impact on the Imperial Japanese Navy and merchant ships, destroying their supply lines and extensive naval fleet.

Submarines not only attacked enemy ships, but also rescued downed pilots, and played other humanitarian roles. Georges Schreiber, Naval History and Heritage Command, 88-159-JK Winning the War Belgian-born artist Georges Schreiber said when he heard the Dorado was lost, 'It was the greatest personal loss I have had in this war.' 'Eighty Feet Below' depicts submariners in the control room of the USS Dorado on her 'shakedown cruise' before she left for her ill-fated war patrol. After the Gato-class, the US Navy designed the Balao-class (120 submarines) and the Tench-class (40 submarines, including 11 built after World War II).īeing stationed on a submarine was often called the 'Silent Service,' since it was hard for people at home to hear news about the submarines, and their loved ones on them. High humidity could condense, drip into electrical equipment, and cause electrical shorts or fires. Amenities like air conditioning were deemed necessary in the warm tropical waters. The Gatos had air conditioning, refrigerated food storage, freshwater distilling units, clothes washers, and bunks for everyone. American submarines offered quite a few comforts to the sailors on board. These submarines were larger and slower divers than some British and German submarines. Between 70 and 77 Gato-class submarines were produced, including the USS Grunion, built by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT. Before the Gato-class, there were also twelve Tambor-class ( like the Triton III and Tuna II ) and six Gar-subclass submarines.

Gato-class submarines were the first mass-produced US submarines for World War II, between 19.

While they weren’t used much during World War I, American submarines came into their own during World War II. National Archives, 19-N-49790 Background of American Submarinesįrom the first American submarine is 1775 to the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine in 1955, the United States has had many successful submarines. Here she is docked at Mare Island Navy Yard, CA, in August 1943. The Gato (SS-212) was the lead ship of its class (the Gato-class).

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