How early US minelaying submarines could reshape the Pacific opening

What if the US Navy began building minelaying submarines alongside the Gato class before the war?

It would add a valuable alternative to defective torpedoes, especially if the boats were forward-deployed in the Philippines.

Building dedicated minelaying boats alongside the Gato program would give the United States another way to attack shipping when its torpedoes remained unreliable. Their value depends on deployment: boats based only at Pearl Harbor arrive late, while submarines operating from the Philippines could mine Japanese approaches and then withdraw south. Mines laid near home-island ports might even threaten carriers returning from the Pearl Harbor operation. The panel cautions that the capability does not solve the Mark 14 problem, but it gives the submarine force an important alternative mission during the difficult opening months.