History

Eight crewmembers of the USS Flier

USS Flier (SS-250)

, a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the flier, a round sunfish widely known in the United States....

reached Bugsuk Island after their submarine struck a mine on Aug. 13, 1944 while on surface patrol during World War II. The survivors, who had been on deck and in the conning tower when the explosion occurred, swam 18 hours to reach an atoll near Bugsuk. Over the next three days, they swam to two other islands before landing on Bugsuk and being helped by Filipino guerrillas. Seventy-eight men died on the Flier, including seven who escaped the sub but didn't survive the swim.
Source: U.S. Navy news release http://www.csp.navy.mil/releases/release_10-008.shtml and interview with Steve Jacobson, a son of one of the survivors, Ensign Al Jacobson.