Facts

very obscure

The Submarine That Became a Cemetery

USS Tang was the most successful submarine of WWII, sinking 24 ships. On October 25, 1944, in the Yellow Sea, Tang's own torpedo circled back and hit the sub. Before sinking, crew members on the surfa...

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extremely obscure

The Submarine Rescue That Shouldn't Have Worked - Tang

When USS Tang was sunk by her own torpedo, Commander O'Kane and survivors in the conning tower sent up a buoy with a note. They were at 180 feet - beyond safe diving depth. A Japanese patrol boat foun...

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extremely obscure

The Ship That Sank 6 Subs - USS England

In 12 days, USS England sank 6 Japanese submarines in the Solomon Islands, a record never matched. The destroyer escort used sonar to hunt subs. Crews became so confident they reportedly said "another...

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extremely obscure

The Italian Submarine Captain Who Saved Lives

Prince Junio Valerio Borghese, commander of the Decima Flottiglia MAS, captured partisans and Jews but often released them unofficially. Later, he refused Mussolini's order to execute 150 Italian civi...

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obscure

The Battle That Saved Australia - Coral Sea

The Battle of Coral Sea was the first naval battle where ships never sighted each other - fought entirely by aircraft. It stopped the Japanese advance toward Australia. Lexington was sunk but saved Au...

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Stories

Tragic

The Admiral Who Sailed Into a Hurricane

"Into the storm, 203 souls saved"

Admiral Ernest King faced an impossible decision in December 1944. Task Force 38 was caught in Typhoon Cobra - three destroyers were sinking, 800 men in the water. Against all naval doctrine, King or...

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Sacrifice

The Captain Who Sank His Own Ship

"He went down with his men, all of them"

Captain Edward Evans commanded HMS Exeter during the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939. Facing the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, Exeter was crippled, burning, taking on water. ...

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