"The United States Submarine Force in World War II was known as the Silent Service because the heroic deeds of submariners were kept secret. This slender force, with only 1.6 percent of the total personnel of the U.S. Navy, sunk fully 55 percent of the 10 million tons of Japanese warships and merchantment accounted for by Allied sea and air armadas. The price of this remarkable success was shatteringly high. Fifty-two boats were lost; 22 percent of submarine crewmen died in action. Their ships became their steel coffins. This was the highest fatality rate of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Seven submariners won the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor. Thirty-seven submarines were awarded the elite Presidential Unit Citation; another thirtysix boats were recipients of the slightly lesser Navy Unit Commendation—by far the highest ratio of any class of warship."
The Bravest Man: Richard O'Kane and the Amazing Submarine Adventures of the USS Tang" by William Touhy
The Bravest Man: Richard O'Kane and the Amazing Submarine Adventures of the USS Tang" by William Touhy