‘Strike of the Sailfish’: The Beleaguered Submarine’s Famous Attack

The American submarine Sailfish, which helped take down the Japanese aircraft carrier Chuyo in World War II. Public Domain

In May 1939, the U.S. Navy submarine Squalus sank in a diving accident. Half the crew died; the rest were rescued, in part due to their sister submarine Sculpin. Squalus, refloated and refurbished, was recommissioned as Sailfish. In December 1943, Sailfish became the first U.S. Navy submarine to sink a Japanese aircraft carrier.

“Strike of the Sailfish: Two Sister Submarines and the Sinking of a Japanese Aircraft Carrier,” by Stephen L. Moore, tells the story of Sailfish, Sculpin, and Chuyo (the aircraft carrier that Sailfish sank), during World War II.

The Misadventures of Two Submarines

The book opens with Squalus’s sinking. A test dive accident flooded the aft half of the boat, drowning the men there. Mr. Moore describes the rescue, including the role Sculpin played in finding Squalus and marking the wreck site.