A Near Not-Miss

On the morning of May 27, 1944, a rare and potentially deadly incident unfolded beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean, involving two U.S. submarines, the USS Lapon (SS-260) and the USS Raton (SS-270). Both submarines were known for their successful patrols, hunting enemy vessels that threatened the war effort. What happened that day, however, is an example of the unpredictable nature of submarine warfare—an accidental incident of friendly fire that could have ended in disaster but instead ended in a miracle.

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USS R-9 SS-86

She was not glamorous. She was not fast. She never launched a torpedo in anger. And yet, USS R-9 (SS-86) served her country with quiet persistence from the close of World War I through the climactic end of World War II. Her name is seldom heard outside the circles of Navy archives and submarine veterans, but her legacy endures in the simple, steadfast performance of her duty.

Laid down on March 6, 1918, and launched into the waters off Quincy, Massachusetts, on May 24, 1919, R-9 came into the world just a little too late for the war that had inspired her. She was part of the R-class submarines, a new breed of coastal defense boats designed to guard America’s shores in an age when undersea warfare was still finding its footing. These boats were no-frills workhorses. With four 21-inch torpedo tubes and a 3-inch deck gun, R-9 was not built to win glory. She was built to keep watch.

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Squalus Down

On a crisp May morning in 1939, the crew of the USS Squalus set out from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, unaware that they were about to write one of the most remarkable chapters in submarine history. The Squalus was new. She was sleek, modern, and powerful. A Sargo-class submarine, she had been launched only the previous September, and commissioned into service just two months before. Her commander, Lieutenant Oliver Naquin, a Naval Academy graduate and seasoned submariner, had a reputation for discipline, attention to detail, and the quiet confidence needed to lead a crew through the perilous underworld of undersea warfare.

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