Gato-class submarine

The Gato class of submarines was built for the United States Navy and launched in 1941–1943. Named after the lead vessel of the class, USS Gato, they were the first mass-produced U.S. submarine class of World War II.

The Gato class, along with the closely related Balao and Tench classes that followed, accounted for most of the Navy's World War II submarines; they destroyed much of the Japanese merchant marine and a large portion of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In some references, the Gato boats are combined with their successors, especially the Balao class.

Gato's name comes from a species of small catshark. Like most other U.S. Navy submarines of the period, boats of the Gato class were given the names of aquatic creatures.