ABSTRACT
The First World War proved the value of the submarine as a naval weapon, but on a relatively small scale. In the Second World War all of the major belligerents planned and executed submarine campaigns against their enemies, with varying results. The Japanese and American submarine campaigns could scarcely show greater diversity. The Japanese possessed decided advantages at the outset. Specifically, their navy possessed the long-lance torpedo for submarine use. Because it was oxygen-driven, it did not leave a telltale stream of bubbles in the water. When Nimitz took command at Pearl, the submarine service underwent swift and positive changes. Although in many ways a submariner by temperament, Nimitz quickly gave the submarine command at Pearl to Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood. In mid-1943 the turning point came for the submariners. American submarine captains henceforth found the hunting very worthwhile indeed.
