)[7] After their initial repulse on December 11, the Japanese returned with two aircraft carriers, Hiryū and Sōryū; thanks in part to the confusion at Pearl Harbor, Lent was not informed,[8] and Triton made no attacks on them, so any chance to delay or prevent the invasion was lost, as was a chance (always exceedingly rare) of sinking or damaging a Japanese aircraft carrier.

Lent was sent by Admiral Withers, COMSUBPAC, to the East China Sea in January 1942,[9] where he met filthy winter weather patrolling between Nagasaki, Shanghai, Dairen, and Korea.

[13] After his return, Lent was transferred to command of the Tambor-class submarine USS Grenadier, departing for the East China Sea in April 1942.

[14] He found a convoy of seven ships, including the "magnificent passenger freighter" Taiyo Maru (14,500 tons) (built in Germany in 1911 as the Cap Finisterre).

He was echoed by his division commander, Marmaduke O'Leary; Admiral English, COMSUBPAC (replacing Withers), "[s]tubbornly following the policy of his predecessors -and the Gun Club line", instead blamed his skippers and crews.

[17] En route home,[18] with the decryption of the Japanese plan to invade Midway, Lent was reassigned to the second[19] of three submarine patrol lines defending the island.

[25] In 1955, having been decorated with both two Navy Crosses and the Legion of Merit,[26] Lent retired and under the tombstone promotion law[27] was made rear admiral.