On the morning of May 3rd, 1945 the Lagarto was preparing to attack a Japanese convoy in the Gulf of Thailand. The navy believes the Lagarto was sunk by the minelayer Hatsutaka in what may have been a fierce battle. "One of torpedo tube doors was open," says Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the United States Pacific Fleet Submarine Force. Divers who surveyed the wreck reported the torpedo inside the tube door was missing. "What's interesting about that," says Davis "I think it kind of shows the submarine probably went down fighting." The navy declared the Lagarto lost August 15th 1945 -- the same day Japan announced its surrender.
