16. American submarines were lost to friendly fire when attacked by American ships and aircraft
Friendly fire incidents caused the loss of two American submarines during the Pacific War, the first occurring in the Atlantic. USS Dorado, bound for the Pacific via the Panama Canal, sank after being bombed by a US Navy PBM Mariner operating out of Guantanamo Bay. All hands aboard the submarine died in the sinking. The Navy at first stated the Mariner bombed a German U-boat, and counted the loss of Dorado as an unexplained accident. Post-war examination of German records proved that explanation faulty.
In October, 1944, USS Seawolf, operating off Samar, carried aboard 17 Army personnel as well as its 83 officers and men. A case of mistaken identity led to it being bombed by an American aircraft operating from the USS Midway. The bombs missed, but the airplane dropped a dye marker and notified surface units of the presence of an “enemy” submarine. American destroyer USS Richard M. Rowell attacked with depth charges. The second attack ended with reports of underwater explosions and the appearance of debris. Rowell reported the destruction of an enemy submarine. Seawolf had been in the area to disembark the Army troops to conduct clandestine operations in support of the invasion of the Philippines. The submarine sank with all hands.