The USS Lionfish was commissioned in 1944 and earned one battle star for service in World War II. It sank a Japanese submarine, rescued the crew of a B-29 bomber, and served as a training submarine. The Balao-class submarine is now a museum docked at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts.

A torpedo fired by a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. 87 bodies were recovered and 32 people were rescued.

World War II proved that control of the oceans could determine the outcome of a global conflict. While battleships had long dominated naval thinking, the war quickly showed that aircraft carriers and submarines were changing the rules.

The Torsk's sinking of the Japanese vessel marked the last U.S. submarine kill for over eight decades - that is until March 3, 2026.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The USS Silversides submarine sank 23 ships and earned 12 battle stars during World War II. Visitors can tour the vessel at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum in Muskegon, Michigan.

In Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's second news briefing since the start of the Iran war, Hegseth said the U.S. had sunk an enemy ship by a torpedo for the first time since World War II.

The sinking of an Iranian warship by a US Navy submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka this week is something a US sub hasn’t done in more than 80 years and is another indication that Washington’s war with Tehran is taking on a breadth also not seen in decades.

Submarine periscope footage released by the Department of War showed a torpedo striking beneath the stern of IRIS Dena, raising the vessel off the water. Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said 80 Iranian sailors have died.