USS Charlotte crew awarded Navy Unit Commendation for sinking Iranian frigate
The crew of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Charlotte has been awarded the Navy Unit Commendation by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for their role in sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena during Operation Epic Fury. The engagement, which occurred in March 2026 approximately 20 miles south of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, marked the first confirmed torpedo kill by a U.S. submarine since World War II. The USS Charlotte fired an MK-48 torpedo at the Iranian vessel, which sank within minutes, killing an estimated 80 personnel. 32 survivors were rescued. The last U.S. submarine to achieve a torpedo kill was the USS Torsk on August 14, 1945. Secretary Cao praised the crew's professionalism and dedication, noting that the most powerful naval weapons are often unseen.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection