Richard O’Kane
During WWII, Richard H. O'Kane participated in ten war patrols in the Pacific. In five years, he was the executive officer of the USS Wahoo, reporting to Dudley "Mush" Morton. He then led the USS Tang on five more occasions. In October 1943, O'Kane took charge of Tang. The submarine damaged 33 Japanese ships before sinking due to a defective torpedo. During airborne operations, it also functioned as a lifeguard. Tang saved 24 American airmen on one such operation.
Tang was involved in a night surface fight in October 1944 when one of its Mark 18 torpedoes went on a circular run. Tang was hit by the malfunctioning weapon and sank as a result of his inability to avoid it. Only nine men, including O'Kane, survived and were taken prisoner by the Japanese. O'Kane was imprisoned at Ofuna for a time without being informed by the Red Cross. He was afterwards transported to the POW camp in Omoru. Greg "Pappy" Boyington of the Black Sheep Squadron was one of his fellow inmates.
Following the war, Richard O'Kane stayed in the Navy until his retirement in 1957. Among the many stories surrounding his career is his skill at cribbage. O'Kane is said to have once hit a 29 in one hand against odds of over 200,000 to one. His personal cribbage board (though not the board on which the score was recorded, which Tang lost) is still assigned to the wardroom of the US fleet's oldest attack submarine.
- Date/place of birth: February 2, 1911, Dover, New Hampshire, USA
- Date of death: February 16, 1994, Petaluma, California, USA
- Awards: Legion of Merit, Medal of Commendation, Navy Cross, Silver Star
- Sink more than 227,824 tons (33 ships)
