The following 52 American submarines were lost during World War II. Click on the name of the vessel to see short histories, including available information on how each boat was lost - and on how six of those have since been found.

The histories are taken from the official publication U.S. Submarine Losses World War II (NAVPERS 15784, 1949 Edition), and some articles written by CDR R. L. Sminkey are included. Except when otherwise noted, photos that appear on these pages are official U.S. Navy photos. The text was transcribed and slightly edited (when necessary) by Paul W. Wittmer and Charles R. Hinman. CDR Rob Downie, USNR (Ret.), has proofread the text, and where noted, added new information to these pages.

The coordinates shown on the Google Earth images as the locations of the loss of each vessel are approximations, and are based on the historical record as known.