USS Argonaut (SS-475)
History of the USS Argonaut Submarine
The USS Argonaut (SS-475) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on June 28, 1944. She was launched on October 1, 1944 and commissioned on January 15, 1945 under the command of Lieutenant Commander John S. Schmidt.
The USS Argonaut conducted tests and training operations for several weeks before arriving at Pearl Harbor on June 11, 1945. She sailed for her first war patrol on June 28, heading for the area of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. The submarine only made contact with enemy vessels once, when she sank a 25-ton junk on August 12. Her patrol ended on August 21 after the Japanese surrendered.
After World War II, the USS Argonaut headed to Kittery, Maine for overhaul before joining the Atlantic Fleet in 1946, based out of Panama. On her way to Panama, she collided with the USS Honolulu, causing minor damage to both ships. Later that year, she joined Submarine Squadron 2 out of New London, Connecticut.
Several years later, in July 1952, the USS Argonaut underwent conversion at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania to give her better underwater endurance. She operated out of New London until July 1955, when she joined Submarine Squadron 6 out of Norfolk, Virginia. The submarine was then converted to a guided-missile sub, carrying a Regulus I missile. Her homeport was shifted to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1958, but she returned to Norfolk in 1959.
The USS Argonaut underwent another overhaul in 1960, removing her missile equipment. Her new mission involved supporting antisubmarine warfare (ASW) training out of Norfolk. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, she participated in the naval quarantine of Cuba. Afterward, she was overhauled at Norfolk, work that lasted until May 13, 1963.
Following refresher training, the USS Argonaut sailed for the Mediterranean on August 19 to join the Sixth Fleet. She made ports of call at Gibraltar, Crete, Greece, Turkey, France, and Italy before returning home on December 15. The submarine alternated Mediterranean deployments with East Coast operations until she went in for overhaul from December 1, 1965 until June 10, 1966. The following year, she headed to New London for training and to provide services to the submarine school there.
Over the next few years, the USS Argonaut spent her time cruising the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, participating in fleet exercises like Operation Springboard and making local patrols. The submarine was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on December 2, 1968. She was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and commissioned the same day as HMCS Rainbow (SS-75), where she remained in service until her decommissioning on December 31, 1974. The submarine earned one battle star 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
