USS Tang 1944
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Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | USS Tang | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1944 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | attack submarine, sunken vessel | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | War action | Keyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence |
| Nationality / flag | United States | Wikidata P137 operator → P17 country |
| Operator | United States Navy | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | World War II, Pacific War | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | Taiwan Strait | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | China | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 31 km from land |
| Position | 25.1000, 119.5167 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
USS Tang (hull number SS-306) was a Balao-class submarine of World War II, the first ship of the United States Navy to bear the name Tang. She was built and launched in 1943, serving until being sunk by her own torpedo off China in the Taiwan Strait on 24 October 1944.
In her short career in the Pacific War, Tang sank 33 ships totalling 116,454 tons. Commander Richard O'Kane received the Medal of Honor for her last two engagements (23 and 24 October 1944).
Tang was sunk during the last engagement by a circular run of her final torpedo, going down in 180 ft (55 m) of water; 78 men were lost, and the 9 survivors were picked up by a Japanese frigate and taken as prisoners of war. This was the only known time that a Momsen lung was used to escape a sunken submarine.
Diving & visiting
Tang has been memorialized as part of a special interactive exhibit at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, called "Final Mission". Visitors enter into a simulated recreation of the submarine, are given a card corresponding to one of the 87 men who crewed the boat during its fifth (and final) patrol, and are assigned a station to crew. The events of 24–25 October 1944 are depicted on an overhead screen, while the visitor "crew" is given tasks to complete. The recreation includes the circular run of the 24th torpedo, which returned to hit Tang and sink the boat.
Location
- Recorded position: 25.1000, 119.5167 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Taiwan Strait
- Nearest coast: China
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article USS Tang (SS-306) (revision 1378834478), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Museums”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Other wrecks of the World War II
- U-983 1943
- USS Aludra 1943
- USS Beatty 1943
- USS Branch 1943
- USS Deimos 1943
- Akagi Maru 1944
- Fusō 1944
- HMS Bullen 1944
- HMS Dragon 1944
- HMS Isis 1944
All 599 wrecks of the World War II →
Browse more: Asia wrecks · wrecks off China · Second World War