Namesake:
Rear Admiral Richard H.
O'Kane
Richard H. O'Kane was born
in Dover, New Hampshire, on February 2, 1911. He attended
Phillips Academy, Andover, and the University of New Hampshire
before entering the United States Naval Academy in 1930. Upon
graduation in 1934, O'Kane was commissioned as an Ensign and
served on USS CHESTER and USS PRUITT before reporting for
instruction in submarines at the Submarine Base, New London,
Connecticut, in January 1938. After completing his training,
O'Kane served on the submarine USS ARGONAUT until 1942, when he
reported for duty as Executive Officer of USS WAHOO. For
outstanding service on WAHOO, O'Kane was awarded the Silver Star
Medal with two Gold Stars, and a Letter of Commendation from the
Secretary of the Navy.
In August 1943, O'Kane returned to the Mare Island Navy
Yard where he assumed command of USS TANG upon her commissioning
on October 15, 1943. After intensive training exercises in the
San Diego area, TANG left for the Pacific, arriving in Pearl
Harbor on January 8, 1944. Under Commander O'Kane, TANG went on
five war patrols, sinking a total of 31 ships, totaling more
than 227,000 tons, and damaging two other ships, a record
unsurpassed by any American submarine.
During its fifth and final war patrol, which began on
September 24 and ended on October 25, 1944, TANG sank 13 enemy
ships. In what was to be her final battle, the TANG encountered
a heavily escorted enemy convoy. Engaged in a fierce surface
battle, Commander O'Kane directed TANG to fire her last two
torpedoes at a crippled transport ship. The first torpedo went
straight and true and struck its target. The second torpedo was
faulty and turned around almost immediatley, heading directly
for TANG. Ordering emergency speed, TANG tried to pull out of
its path, but it struck the submarine in the stern, causing a
violent explosion. Of the entire crew, only nine were able to
escape the sinking submarine. They swam through the night until
they were picked up by a Japanese destroyer escort eight hours
later.
Commander O'Kane and the others from TANG were imprisoned
on Formosa. He was later transferred to a secret prison camp
near Tokyo where he was not registered and was therefore listed
as "missing in action" until the camp's liberation two
weeks after V-J Day. During his imprisonment, he and the other
prisoners sruvived on a diet of less than 300 calories a day,
eating mostly rice or barley, without fruit, vegetables or
protein. Upon his release, O'Kane was suffering from scurvy and
beriberi. He was evacuated by air to Pearl Harbor and, after a
short hospitalization there, was transferred to the Naval
Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
After his recovery, O'Kane's commands included USS PELIAS
and USS SPERRY, as well as the Submarine School in New London,
Connecticut, Submarine Division THIRTY-TWO and Submarine
Squadron SEVEN. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his
exemplary service on TANG on March 27, 1947. Rear Admiral
O'Kanes other military decoration include the Navy Cross with
two Gold Stars, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V",
the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal. He also wrote
two books based on his experiences in World War II, Clear the
Bridge and WAHOO.
Rear Admiral O'Kane passed away in February 1994. He is
survived by his wife, Ernestine, two children, four
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. |
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