USS Bowfin (SS-287)
History of the USS Bowfin Submarine
The USS Bowfin (SS-287) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on July 23, 1942. She was launched on December 7, 1942 and commissioned on May 1, 1943 under the command of Commander Joseph H. Willingham.
The USS Bowfin began her first World War II patrol on August 25, 1943 out of Darwin, Australia. Her patrol of the Mindanao Sea was uneventful until she rendezvoused with the USS Billfish on September 24. She sank the Japanese tanker Kirishima Maru the following day. Five days later, she helped deliver supplies and evacuate people from Siquijor Island in the Philippines before sinking the cargo ship Mitake Maru. On October 2, she sank an enemy sampan. Her patrol ended at Fremantle eight days later.
On November 1, the USS Bowfin left for her next patrol of the South China Sea. Eight days later, she sank four Japanese sailing vessels with her gunfire. The submarine sank the enemy tanker Ogurasan Maru and the cargo ship Tainian Maru on November 26. She sank the Vichhy French cargo ship Van Vollenhoven the next day, and the cargo ship Sydney Maru and tanker Tonan Maru the day after that. As she was damaged by gunfire in that last enemy contact, she headed back to Fremantle for repairs. She arrived there on December 9, but not before sinking another enemy sailing vessel one week earlier.
The crew of the USS Bowfin spent Christmas in Australia before leaving to patrol the Makassar Strait on January 8, 1944. She sank the merchant tanker Shoyu Maru on January 18 and damaged the seaplane tender Kamoi 10 days after that. On January 29, the submarine laid mines off the southeast coast of Borneo. The next day, she sank two Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire before ending her patrol on February 5 at Fremantle.
Her next patrol began on February 28, and the USS Bowfin headed for the Celebes Sea. On March 11, she sank the enemy cargo ship Tsukikawa Maru. She stopped briefly at Darwin three days later to board additional torpedoes. The submarine then sank the transport Shinkyo Maru and the cargo ship on March 24 before pulling in at Fremantle on April 1.
The USS Bowfin sailed for her next patrol of the Palaus from April 25 until June 21. She sank the cargo ship Bisan Maru on May 14 before ending her patrol at Pearl Harbor. Her sixth patrol started three weeks later on July 16 near the Ryukyu Islands. She sank the cargo ship Seiyo Maru on August 10 and the Tsushima Maru on August 22. Six days later, she sank a Japanese trawler. The submarine sank guardboat Hinode Maru No. 6 on September 4. Nine days later, she ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor. She then headed to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was completed, the USS Bowfin departed Pearl Harbor on January 25, 1945 to patrol the area south of Honshu. She sank the corvette Kaibokan No. 56 and the guardboat Nanshin Maru No. 26 on February 17. On March 2, she sank the Chokai Maru before ending her patrol on March 25 at Guam.
The USS Bowfin left on April 23 to patrol near Honshu and Hokkaido. She sank the gunboat Chowa Maru on May 1 and the fishing vessel Daito Maru No. 3 one week later. The submarine returned to Guam on May 15. Her final patrol of the Sea of Japan started later that month on May 29. She sank the cargo ship Shinyo Maru No. 3 on June 11 and the Akiura Maru two days later. This last patrol ended at Pearl Harbor on July 4. The submarine was getting ready to begin her tenth patrol when the Japanese capitulated on August 15.
After World War II, the USS Bowfin served with the Atlantic Fleet until she was decommissioned on February 12, 1947. When the Korean War began, she was recommissioned on July 27, 1951. The submarine operated out of San Diego, California for two years in local exercises and training. She was decommissioned again on April 22, 1954.
The USS Bowfin moved to Seattle on May 1, 1960 to serve as a Naval Reserve training submarine for over 10 years. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on December 1, 1971. The submarine now serves as a memorial at Pearl Harbor; she was declared a National Historic Landmark on January 14, 1986.
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
