US Fleet Submarines in the Atlantic during the Second World War: A Case Study of Relative Failure

The contribution of US submarines to the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War has been almost entirely neglected by historians. Admittedly that contribution was relatively small, as reaffirmed by this study of eight modern American fleet submarines assigned to Operation Torch and subsequent patrols from Britain to the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic. Faced with stringent rules of engagement and mechanical problems, along with limited refit and recreational facilities, the American submariners found assignment in the Atlantic frustrating. Arguably the experience honed their skills for later war patrols in the Pacific, but even this is open to question.