The World War II U.S. Navy Submarine Service was a silent service, hidden under a veil of secrecy to protect those serving aboard. Not until after the war ended did the public learn of the contributions submariners made to victory in the Pacific.
Their contributions were enormous. From Dec. 1941 to Aug. 1945 during WWII, the Pacific Submarine Force in war patrols sank almost five million tons of Japanese shipping and 600,000 tons of warships. Their actions strangled Japan’s war machine. The price paid was heavy: Fifty-two submarines and 3,505 men were lost.
