The U.S. Navy used submarines as an offensive form of defense, attacking the merchant shipping that sustained Japan's war industry. Those patrols aimed to slow or cripple Japanese operations and buy time for larger American forces to arrive. Japan possessed boats capable of reaching and shelling the U.S. Pacific coast, but it lacked enough of them and did not create the forward supply system needed to sustain the effort. American bases, resupply, and the ability to keep producing reliable Gato-class boats mattered more than theoretical reach alone.
Chapter · 1:39:31-1:42:11
Pacific submarines: offensive defense depends on logistics
American boats attacked the shipping that sustained Japan's war effort, while Japan struggled to support its own long-range submarine force.
Commerce RaidingFleet Submarine DoctrineForward BasesGato Class SubmarinesJapanese NavyJapanese SubmarinesJapanese War EconomyMerchant ShippingNaval LogisticsOffensive DefencePacific WarSea Lines Of CommunicationSubmarine BasingSubmarine Deck GunsSubmarine LogisticsUS NavyUS SubmarinesUS West CoastWarship Production