USS Brill (SS-330)
History of the USS Brill Submarine
The USS Brill (SS-330) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Connecticut on September 23, 1943. She was launched on June 25, 1944 and commissioned on October 26, 1944 under the command of Commander H.B. Dodge.
The USS Brill arrived at Pearl Harbor on January 8, 1945. She departed for her first war patrol of the South China Sea on January 28. Her patrol ended on March 30 at Fremantle without making any enemy contacts. The submarine had another uneventful patrol of the Gulf of Siam from April 27 to June 4. Her third and final war patrol of the Gulf of Siam began on July 3 and ended on August 9 without making any kills either.
After World War II, the USS Brill headed for San Diego, California via Subic Bay and Pearl Harbor, arriving home on February 12, 1946. She returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs in May. When repair work was complete, she cruised to Midway, Alaska, and Puget Sound in Washington before arriving back at Pearl Harbor on November 9. The submarine joined Submarine Squadron 5 to conduct training operations in Hawaii until September 4, 1947.
The USS Brill was decommissioned on May 23, 1948 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register five days later. She was loaned to the Turkish Navy, where she served as TCG 1. Inonu. The submarine was converted as a GUPPY Fleet Snorkel submarine from 1952 until 1953; the work began at Golcuk Naval Yard in Turkey and ended in the United States. She was decommissioned from the Turkish Navy in 1972.
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
