In a sharp escalation in the ongoing tensions in West Asia, a submarine of the United States Navy reportedly intercepted and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on March 3.
The attack, carried out using a torpedo, marks a rare instance of modern submarine combat and reportedly resulted in heavy casualties. Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike, stating that the vessel was destroyed by a torpedo fired from a US submarine. The engagement is notable because it is believed to be the first time since World War II that an American submarine has sunk an enemy warship using torpedoes in live combat.
The last torpedo kills in 1945
The previous instances of such attacks date back to the final hours of World War II in August 1945.
One of the last submarine engagements involved USS Spikefish (SS-404), which attacked the Japanese transport submarine Japanese submarine I-373 in the East China Sea on August 14, 1945. The American submarine fired six Mk-14 torpedoes from close range, two of which struck the target and sank it within minutes.
Later the same day, USS Torsk (SS-423) engaged two Japanese escort vessels near Maizuru. It first sank CD-47 using a Mk-28 torpedo. Shortly afterward, the submarine fired an acoustic-homing Mk-27 “Cutie” torpedo that destroyed CD-13.
The sinking of CD-13 by USS Torsk is widely regarded by military historians as the final Japanese warship lost during World War II.
A long gap in submarine combat
The contrast between the final naval engagements of 1945 and the latest strike highlights the long absence of submarine-launched torpedo combat in modern warfare.
For decades, US submarines have primarily been used for strategic deterrence, intelligence gathering and surveillance rather than direct ship-to-ship combat. The reported sinking of an Iranian vessel therefore represents a rare operational use of heavyweight torpedoes and reflects a potentially harder US military posture amid the evolving conflict in West Asia.
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