On October 25th, 1944, a man broke the ocean surface and began to look around desperately

for the men he was with.

After they were accounted for, they scanned the horizon for any land to swim to.

What they saw instead, though, made their hearts sink.

They knew in that moment that the next days of their lives, if they survived at all, would

be horrific. This is their horrifying story, and as always, viewer discretion is strongly advised.

During the first half of the 1940s, the world was at war again, and one of the most important

and decisive theaters was fought in the Pacific Ocean.

And there, the war was fought across thousands of miles of open ocean.

From the jungles of New Guinea to the shores of Iwojima, Japan, the conflict stretched

moreover ocean than land, and control of the seas often meant the difference between victory

and defeat. And while battleships and aircraft carriers drew the headlines, much of Japan's

downfall occurred as the result of submarines. The US Navy's submarine fleet numbered nearly

300 and became the unseen force that broke Japan. Orders were to sink every ship carrying

food, oil, weapons, and personnel that kept

the Empire alive, and U.S. submarines succeeded at a staggering scale. By the war's end, they had

destroyed almost 5 million tons of Japanese ships, including more than 1,100 merchant ships and 200

warships. This kind of success didn't come cheap though and not just in monetary terms.

The submarine service was one of the most dangerous assignments in the entire Navy, as 52

U.S. subs were destroyed during the war, taking with them the lives of more than 3,500 men.

Patrols also often stretched for months in stifling heat with no daylight and no guarantee

of a safe return. When enemy destroyers would move in, all a submarine could do was shut down the engines,

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