#2 Main Generator

Out in the western Pacific on July 14, 1945, the crew of USS Gabilan SS-252, wasn’t dodging torpedoes or depth charges. They weren’t firing off salvos or hunting enemy shipping lanes. They were quietly holding their station as part of a mission every bit as important—plane guarding. Their job was to watch the skies for B-29s, those massive bombers roaring toward Japan, and be ready to rescue any airman forced to ditch at sea. It wasn’t as dramatic as sinking a convoy, but if you were the one floating in a life raft, you’d be glad someone like Gabilan was out there.

And then, out of nowhere, fire broke out inside the sub.

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In the Dark, We Hunt

The clock had barely ticked past midnight when USS Hammerhead (SS-364) slipped beneath the waves, 10,000 yards ahead of a Japanese convoy steaming through the Gulf of Thailand. The crew knew what was coming. Their orders were clear: close in, identify the targets, and attack. Every man aboard had drilled for this moment. Now it was time to put steel and nerves to the test.

By 2:29 AM, they surfaced again, cautiously threading their way back into position. The ocean was eerily quiet, too quiet for comfort. Contacts in this sector were scarce, and the decision was made to try something risky. Hammerhead would launch a surface attack. Bold? Absolutely. Dangerous? Without question. But the captain wasn’t about to let the enemy slip away under cover of darkness.

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Hunter in the Fog

July 9, 1944, started out like so many days in the northern Pacific. Cold, fog-draped, and heavy with tension. Aboard the USS Sunfish (SS-281), the crew was already braced for action. They’d spent the previous evening weaving through fog banks, probing northern sea lanes near the Kuriles, hoping to intercept something worthwhile. At 0936, radar picked up three contacts, pips dancing on the screen, about 15,650 yards out and closing. Twenty miles north of Araido To, the hunt had begun.

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