Analysis: Last Time a U.S. Submarine Sank an Enemy Warship Was End of WWII

Following the U.S. Navy submarine sinking of an Iranian warship during Operation Epic Fury, The War Zone examines the historical significance of the feat, tracing the last comparable American submarine combat kill to August 14, 1945 — VJ Day. On that day, USS Spikefish sank Japanese submarine I-373 and USS Torsk sank escort vessel CD-13 in the final hours of World War II. While Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed it was the first such sinking since WWII, the analysis clarifies this applies to U.S. submarines specifically, as British and Pakistani submarines have achieved similar combat kills in the intervening decades.