Little is known of the criminal who became the Tiger Shark prior to reports from the late 1940's.  By that point, he was operating in the waters in and around Gotham City, engaging in a series of brazen thefts in warehouses along Gotham's wharf district and piracy of vessels navigating nearby.   When a police report came in that his sub had been sighted, Batman and Robin delayed a visit to the elite Voyagers Club to investigate.  They caught the criminals unawares, deploying the batmobile's amphibious ability to pursue the sub across the water's surface.   Recalling his men, the Tiger Shark submerged, taking his criminal crew to place the Caped Crusaders could not follow.

Later that evening, at the Voyagers Club, famous adventurers from around the world meet to compare trophies.  The meeting is chaired by Dr. Dennis Gaige, world renowned oceanographer and master of the depth.  After trophies obtained off Mt. Everest and from the upper atmosphere were offered, Batman instructed the club to leave a space on the wall for upcoming big trophy - the mask of the Tiger Shark. After the meeting, Batman approached Gaige and explained his limitations - the Tiger Shark could go undersea while he was limited to the surface.  He need a Bat-Submarine.  Gaige was honored to be asked and agreed to accompany the two heroes to the Bat-Cave to design a new vehicle.

While Gaige and the Bat-Duo worked, the Tiger Shark remained curiously quiet.  Batman speculated that he was waiting for a suitable target.  The arrival of the S.S. Vulcan carrying a load of uncut diamonds becomes that target and the Dynamic Duo board the craft to prepare for an attack.  The captain is initially dismissive, confident in the ships angti-submarine defenses but change his tune as the Shark's men begin to cut through the hull.  Donning scuba gear, Batman and Robin engage in an underwater melee, repelling the invaders and eventually managing to tag one with a tracking device to leave a trail back to the Tiger Shark's hideway.

Discovering it to be an sunken wreck made airtight for seclusion, Batman contacts Gaige to request use of his diving equipment to ambush the Tiger Shark.  Gaige eagerly agrees but after Batman and Robin are lowered to the ocean floor in a bathysphere, a small pilot sub cuts its leads and send the bathysphere tumbling along the bottom.  The ship radios to shore that Batman and Robin have been lost, news that resonates around the country.  Not inclined to surrender, Batman positions the sphere neat the anchor chain of the ship they launched from, using the grapplers extended from the sphere to pull it upwards along the chain.  Just as they were almost out of air, the sphere breaks the surface and the heroes scramble onboard.

Using the tracker they placed on the Shark's henchman, Batman learns that a rail shipment of industrial grade silver was be transported by barge into Gotham.  As the Shark and his men approach, the Tiger Shark is caught off-guard and exclaims as he sees that Bat-Sub racing toward them.  The criminals scramble to escape but new netting installed in Batman's sub captures all of them along with their entangled submarine.  As the police arrive, Batman has deduced that identity of the Tiger Shark as the only other person who knew the Bat-Sub existed besides he and Robin - Dr. Gauge, who is remanded into police custody as his mask is taken as a trophy to the Voyagers Club (Detective Comics #147).