Happy 120th Birthday, U.S. Navy Submarine Force

Naval History and Heritage Command posted a birthday message for the U.S. Submarine Force with some links to some interesting submarine history.

DASO off Cape Kennedy, FL. An A-3 Polaris fired from USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) on 15 October 1969, with USS Lowery (DD-770) and USS Observation Island (AG-154) in background. Painting, oil on canvas by James E. Mitchell; 1970

On April 11, 1900, the U.S. Navy officially joined the undersea world when it purchased the submarine Holland. The boat, designed by John P. Holland, proved valuable for experimental purposes during her 10-year career.

American submarines did not play a large role in World War I, but they played a huge role during World War II. Assessments indicated that U.S. submarines sank 540,192 tons of Japanese naval vessels and 4,779,902 tons of merchant shipping during the course of the war, accounting for 54.6 percent of all Japanese vessel losses.

USS Nautilus—developed by Hyman G. Rickover—was the first nuclear-powered submarine and the first submarine to cross the North Pole under the Arctic polar ice pack. USS George Washington made history on July 20, 1960, when she successfully launched the first Polaris from a submerged submarine. The Tomahawk land-attack missile was later developed and was first used by submarines in combat during Desert Storm by USS Louisville and USS Pittsburgh.

Happy birthday, U.S. Navy submarine force.