Willard Arthur Saunders was a highly decorated submarine commander in the United States Navy during World War II and later rear admiral. A graduate of the Naval Academy, he distinguished himself as commanding officer of the submarine Grayback on war patrols in early 1942; he was decorated with the Navy Cross, the United States' second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat.

USS Grayback (SS-208), a Tambor-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the lake herring, Coregonus artedi. She ranked 20th among all U.S. submarines in total tonnage sunk during World War II, with 63,835 tons, and 24th in number of ships sunk, with 14. She was sunk near Okinawa on 27 February 1944. Her wreck was discovered in June 2019.