The crew stitched together blankets, hammocks and battery deck covers, and then spent 5 days under sail to travel 120 miles back to Hawaii.

The CO received a letter of commendation for the crew's innovative actions from his Submarine Division Commander, CDR Chester Nimitz.

She conducted exercises with Destroyer Squadrons of the Scouting Force into the spring, then following overhaul trained personnel assigned to the Submarine School.

Sometime before 25 May 2011, an exploration team led by Tim Taylor aboard the expedition vessel RV Tiburon located and documented the wreck of R-12.

RV Tiburon intends to launch a future expedition to further investigate the possible causes of the sinking, and collect detailed archeological baseline data.

Updated information from the Department of the Navy shows the following: On 12 June 1943, the R-12 headed out from Key West to practice launching torpedoes.

But as the boat prepared to dive, the forward battery compartment began to flood, and the sub sank in 15 seconds, according to a Navy Court of Inquiry.