First U.S. Torpedo Strike Since WWII — From Then to Now

Torpedoes have been one of the most powerful weapons used by submarines for more than a century.

Designed to travel underwater and strike ships or submarines, they became a defining tool of naval warfare during the two world wars. During World War II in particular, U.S. submarines used torpedoes extensively across the Pacific, sinking hundreds of enemy vessels and disrupting supply lines.

The last confirmed instance of a U.S. submarine sinking an enemy ship with a torpedo took place in August 1945 near the end of World War II, when the USS Torsk attacked and sank a Japanese patrol vessel near the port of Maizuru.

After the war, submarines remained a key part of U.S. naval strategy, but their missions evolved. Instead of primarily targeting ships, submarines increasingly focused on intelligence gathering, surveillance and deterrence during the Cold War.

In later decades, submarines also became important platforms for launching cruise missiles at land targets. U.S. submarines have used such missiles in conflicts including the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, and operations in Iraq, Libya and Yemen.

The sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena therefore marks a rare modern example of a torpedo attack in combat, reflecting a naval tactic that had largely disappeared from contemporary warfare.