[John Dudek]

At the start of the war, the US Navy had three very large "V-Class" submarines capable of carrying well over 100 tons of supplies in commission, the USS Narwhal, Argonaught and Nautilus. While a number of smaller "Fleet Boats" came to call at Corregidor during the 1942 siege to unload badly needed food supplies, medicine and armaments, in return for torpedoes and fuel, none of the V-Boats were ever utilized for that same purpose.

I wonder what effect they could have had, should 3 submarines filled with over 100 tons of concentrated and canned food supplies made regular runs to Corregidor from Cebu where over a years worth of food supplies and munitions had been accumulated. Sure, it was probably a drop in the bucket, but using a V-Boat's capacity for hauling supplies would be better than using the much smaller Fleet boats that could only carry a fraction of supplies.

Considering their less than effective war records, I wonder if those three submarines wouldn't have been far better utilized in carrying foodstuffs for the starving troops of Bataan, Corregidor and the other fortified islands of Manila Bay.

[TomasCTT]

I'd say it'd still be delaying the inevitable, or wouldn't have mattered. Any supplies that'd arrive would be, as you said, a drop in the bucket. The only way the USAFFE-PA forces could have held out longer would be if the US sent large regular convoys across the Pacific to supply it. Otherwise, any supplies provided by those subs, while may have improved the health of the soldiers, would still be not enough to stop the Japanese advance. At best, we'd see the US and Filipino troops having better health when they start the Death March.