This Day in History: USS Tang's Last Mission

On this day in 1944, USS Tang sinks, the victim of her own malfunctioning torpedo. A handful of sailors would survive, only to be captured by the Japanese. Then-Lt. Commander Richard O’Kane survived his captivity and would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the hours before Tang’s demise.
The audacious commander was a legend of World War II, once called “America’s undersea ace of aces.” During Tang’s five war patrols, O’Kane is officially credited with sinking 24 enemy ships.