The U.S. Navy submarine USS Tang off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, December 1943.
The most notorious of these was the tendency to circle back on the firing submarine.
This is known as circular run.
After thetorpedo was fired, it would travel on a straight course for a short distance called the reach.
Then the torpedo’s gyro steering mechanism would kick in and the torpedo would start turning.
After the desired bearing was reached, the torpedo would straighten its course and run towards the target.
A torpedos complicated firing calculation.
Two of these resulted in fatalities.
The only other submarine to be sunk by a wayward torpedo was theUSS Tang.
Her aim was spot on, and soon all the targets were either burning or sinking.
Somehow the destroyer blew apart either from interceptingTang’s torpedo or from shell fire of the two escorts.
By then, theTangwas down to her last two torpedoes from a total of 24.
At 900 yards,Tangfired her two remaining torpedoes.
The first one was observed running hot and straight, but the last torpedo malfunctioned.
It curved sharply to the left, circled around and hit Tang on the stern.
When it dropped back into the water, it had a hard left rudder on it.
We started sinking from the stern.
The explosion was so violent that everyone was thrown about against the steel walls and bulkheads.
Those who were on the bridge came crashing down the hatch head-first.
Many broke their backs and necks.
The way USS Tang sank.
To prevent military secrets from falling into the enemys hands, they destroyed all documents.
Just then a patrol boat began dropping depth charges, starting an electrical fire in the forward battery.
Only thirteen men managed to escape from the forward torpedo room.
Of the thirteen who escaped, only eight reached the surface.
Of this only five were rescued.
Seventy eight otherslost their lives.
One torpedo missed, and the last torpedo sankTang.
Commanding Officer Richard O’Kane, one of the survivors, was awarded the Medal of Honor.
The vessel was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation twice during her career.
She also received four battle stars.
