D uring the fiercest period of submarine warfare in human history, the United States relied heavily upon the Gato class—the first mass-produced submarine of World War II. The Americans built ...

Gato-class submarines were a mainstay of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific. They were diesel-electric submarines that displaced approximately 1,525 tons when surfaced and 2,424 tons when submerged.

The Gato-class submarines, produced in large numbers between 1941 and 1943, marked the first mass production of submarines in US Navy history. As radar, electronic surveillance, and communication ...