Japanese merchant shipping was in decline when the Cavalla began her first patrol. American submarines prowled the Pacific and even the shallow seas in Japan's home waters in defiant search of enemy ships. The targets were few and fleeting, but Cavalla gained her share of acclaim and glory. After the war, Cavalla was decommissioned and then recommissioned twice and was converted to a hunter/killer submarine and then auxiliary submarine before serving out her career as a pierside training boat.
She served long and she served well!