USS Amberjack (SS-219)
History of the USS Amberjack Submarine
The USS Amberjack (SS-219) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before the United States entered World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Connecticut on May 15, 1941. She was launched on March 6, 1942 and commissioned on June 19, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander John A. Bole, Jr.
The USS Amberjack arrived at Pearl Harbor on August 20, 1942, heading out for her first patrol between New Ireland and Bougainville on September 3. She scored two torpedo hits on the Japanese freighter Shirogane Maru on September 19. The submarine made contact with more enemy ships in the week that followed, but she was forced to dive when they dropped their depth charges. She sank the cargo vessel Senkai Maru in early October and damaged two other enemy ships several days later before heading to Espiritu Santo for repairs.
Once her repairs were complete, the USS Amberjack was assigned to transport troops, fuel, and bombs to Guadalcanal, but her destination was changed to Tulagi during transit. She put in at Brisbane for refitting during November, heading out to patrol again on November 21. The submarine made several attempts to damage Japanese shipping over the next few weeks, but to no avail.
The USS Amberjack sustained minor damage from depth charges on December 20, but she was able to finish out her patrol, returning to Brisbane on January 11, 1943. After refitting and repair work, she left to patrol the Solomon Islands on January 29. She sank a Japanese freighter on February 4, but lost her Chief Pharmacist’s Mate due to machine gun fire. The submarine went on to patrol the area between Rabaul, Buka, and the Shortland Sea.
The USS Amberjack made her last radio transmission on February 14, 1943, having captured an enemy aviator. She did not make her routine report on March 10, and she was presumed lost on March 22. It is believed that the submarine was lost on February 16 when the Japanese dropped nine depth charges in the area she was patrolling. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on June 21, 1943. The submarine received three battle stars for her service in World War II.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.
Sources include:
Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences, by John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed
