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The U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II assigned USS Tang (SS-306) to the State of Florida.
October 24, 1944 - 78 Men Lost when USS Tang was sunk by her own torpedo in the Formosa Straits.
The nine captives were retained by the Japanese in prison camps until the end of the war, and were treated by them in typical fashion.
The loss of TANG by her own torpedo, the last one fired on the most successful patrol ever made by a U.S. submarine, was a stroke of singular misfortune.
She is credited with having sunk 13 vessels for 107,324 tons of enemy shipping on this patrol, and her Commanding Officer has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
On her last patrol TANG fired twenty-four torpedoes in four attacks. Twenty-two torpedoes found their mark in enemy ships, sinking 13 of them; one missed, and the last torpedo, fired after a careful check over, sank TANG.
This vessel was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation twice during her career. Commander O’Kane has been called the Submarine Force’s most outstanding officer; he served as Executive Officer of the very successful WAHOO before taking command of TANG.
This memorial was rededicated on April 13, 1996 by the Tang Base of USSVI.
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