1. Richard O'Kane received three Navy Crosses and three Silver Stars, for a total of seven awards of the United States military's three highest decorations for valor in combat.
18 Facts About Richard O'Kane
1. 2.
Richard O'Kane was born in Dover, New Hampshire, on February 2,1911.
3.
Richard O'Kane was the youngest of four children of University of New Hampshire entomology professor Walter Collins O'Kane, of Irish ancestry, and his wife, Clifford Hetherington.
4.
Richard O'Kane graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover in 1930 and the United States Naval Academy in May 1934, upon which he was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy.
5.
Under Morton's tutelage, Richard O'Kane developed the skills that enabled him to become the single most accomplished American submarine commander in history.
6.
Richard O'Kane placed her in commission in October 1943 and commanded her for her entire career.
7.
Richard O'Kane was an innovator, developing several operational tactics that markedly increased his ship's effectiveness.
8.
Richard O'Kane claimed eight ships sunk; post-war analysis increased this to 10 ships.
9.
Under Richard O'Kane, Tang performed "lifeguard duty", a common joint operation, with a Fast Carrier Task Force, of positioning one or more submarines in a "ditching station" off an enemy island under air attack in order to rescue downed pilots.
10.
Richard O'Kane lost all but eight members of his crew, and was at first secretly held captive at the Ofuna navy detention center, then later moved to the regular army Omori POW camp.
11.
Richard O'Kane retired from active duty in July 1957 and, on the basis of his extensive combat record and under the tombstone promotion rule in effect at the time, was simultaneously advanced to the rank of rear admiral on the Retired List.
12.
Commander Richard O'Kane was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest medal, for his heroic actions on 23 and 24 October 1944 as commanding officer of the USS Tang.
13.
Richard O'Kane stood in the fusillade of bullets and shells from all directions to launch smashing hits on 3 tankers, coolly swung his ship to fire at a freighter and, in a split-second decision, shot out of the path of an onrushing transport, missing it by inches.
14.
Richard O'Kane, aided by his gallant command, achieved an illustrious record of heroism in combat, enhancing the finest traditions of the US Naval Service.
15.
Richard O'Kane died of pneumonia, on February 16,1994 in Petaluma, California, at age 83.
16.
When Richard O'Kane became commander of the USS Tang, it subsequently broke the record for most ships sunk in a patrol.
17.
Boldly maneuvering on the surface into the midst of a heavily escorted convoy, CMDR Richard O'Kane stood in the fusillade of bullets and shells from all directions to launch smashing hits on 3 tankers, coolly swung his ship to fire at a freighter and, in a split-second decision, shot out of the path of an onrushing transport, missing it by inches.
18.
Richard O'Kane, aided by his gallant command, achieved an illustrious record of heroism in combat, enhancing the finest traditions of the US Naval Service.