TIL on the night of 22-23 July 1945 USN Commander Eugene Fluckey sent a shore party from his submarine USS Barb (SS-220) to sabotage a railroad. The raiders became the only Allied force to invade mainland Japan in the war, and the Barb became the only sub in history with a confirmed kill on a train.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by YankeeWalrus t3_10o14nx in todayilearned
MythicFool t1_j6c4bbo wrote
Cmdr. Fluckey was an amazing sub captain. A couple more details on that raid: They used a 65lb scuttling charge with a jury-rigged pressure switch the boat's electrician made and set it under the tracks.
The Barb's crew under Fluckey's command didnt lose a man or had anyone seriously wounded.
They snuck into a Japanese harbor and torpedoed multiple transports at anchor and slipped away undetected.
They had rocket batteries mounted to the deck and was the first sub to bombard shore installations.
Just check out the Barb's battle flag to see all the confirmed kills she made.