Only U.S. Sub to Sink Enemy Battleship in Combat, the USS Sealion (SS-315))-- Part 2

Twenty minutes after midnight on November 21, 1944, the U.S. submarine Sealion made radar contact with a group of Japanese  warships in the Taiwan Strait.

The ships weren't zigzagging to avoid submarines and the Sealion went for a closer look to see if an attack was possible.

By 1:48 am, the Americans thought they were trailing two battleships and two cruisers escorted by three destroyers.  They had actually stumbled upon three battleships (including the Yamato (the largest and most powerful battleship ever built).  The other two were the Kongo and Nagato, as well as the cruiser Yahagi and three destroyers.

It was too good of a opportunity to pass up so the sub's commander, Lt. Cmdr. Eli Thomas Reich so the crew went to battle stations to prepare to attack.

The Sealion was a Balao-class submarine commissioned in March 1944 and it had become quickly battle-tested.

--GreGen