My favorite submariner is Don Rickles.
Actually, my hat is off to Howard Gilmore (
Growler). He attacked a ship on the surface at night, and in the poor visibility neither he nor anyone else on the bridge noticed the target turn into their path. At the last minute, Gilmore tried to avoid the collision, but the Japanese machine gunned the bridge, killing two and wounding Gilmore. He became famous for clearing the bridge and then yelling down the hatch, "Take her down!" Gilmore was left on the bridge when the boat dived; he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (first submariner to be so decorated).