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Here Are 10 Of The Most Celebrated Submarines Of WWII Ranked
By JEFF HARPER
10. T-Class Submarine
The Royal Navy's T-class, or Triton Class, submarine replaced the poorly performing Oberon, Parthian, and Rainbow vessels.
These new submarines were subjected to strict design guidelines, and while they did perform acceptably, the record is marred by an early disastrous friendly-fire incident.
9. USS Rasher
While the USS Rasher Gato class wasn’t as effective as other World War II submarines, it had an impressive record of 18 sunken ships.
For its exceptional service during the war, the USS Rasher was awarded four Presidential Unit Citations for outstanding performance in combat patrols and seven battle stars.
8. USS Wahoo Gato Class
The USS Wahoo may have downed two more ships than the USS Rasher, but it’s primarily known for its leaders, Lt. Commander Morton and executive officer Lt. O’Kane.
Commissioned on May 15, 1942, the Wahoo was designed to take revenge on the Japanese after Pearl Harbor, and it wreaked havoc in the Pacific theater.
7. USS Tang
The most successful American submarine of World War II was the USS Tang. With a total of 33 enemy ships sunk, it received numerous awards such as the Medal of Honor.
The USS Tang was part of the Balao-class of submarines, built to address some of the Gato-class shortcomings, including diving depth.
6. IJN I-168 Submarine
The Battle of Midway is one of the best-known conflicts of World War II, and while the U.S. was victorious, the Japanese IJN Submarine I-168 did severe damage to their fleet.
The I-168 had a brief service, but it managed to sink the USS Yorktown and the destroyer USS Hammann during the battle. It was ultimately destroyed by U.S. forces in 1943.