List of most successful American submarines in World War II

[4][5] At the beginning of the war, Japanese merchant ships had a carrying capacity of around six million tons.

[5] U.S. Navy submarines also conducted reconnaissance patrols, landed special forces and guerrilla troops and performed search and rescue tasks.

"[6][11] Starting in 1941, submarines patrolled the American Theater, hunting German U-boats and protecting shipping lanes.

The ships scored several hits, but a lack of targets led to them being returned to the United States.

[10] With 116,454 tons sunk, the USS Tang sank the most tonnage of shipping in World War II for the United States.

Its tonnage was revised from the Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) report, which initially credited Tang with fewer sinkings.