Sub tenders were like any other tender, designed as a movable supply and repair facility so when a new island was invaded and secured all they had to do was send a tender there to anchor instead of building a pier and all the assorted cranes and machine shops. They were not combat ships, did all their work while at anchor in a protected harbor. Can't recall any case of a US sub being towed out of enemy territory, but there were a few cases where another sub took the crew off the damaged sub and scuttled it, bringing the crew back to the nearest friendly base. Obvious problems with that is twice the numbers sucking up O2 and breathing out CO2, cutting submerged endurance in half, plus a lot more hot bunking and get your *%#&@$#! elbow outta my eye. Better than leaving the crew to be captured tho, a lot faster and cheaper to build new subs than to train new crews.
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