USS Hake (SS-256)
History of the USS Hake Submarine
The USS Hake (SS-256) 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 November 1, 1941. She was launched on July 17, 1942 and commissioned on October 30, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander J. C. Broach.
The USS Hake began her first war patrol of the North Atlantic on April 8, 1943. She encountered no German submarines during this time, and the uneventful patrol ended on April 29 at Helenburgh, Scotland. Her second patrol lasted from May 27 until July 17 without attacking any enemy ships before she pulled in at New London, Connecticut.
From there, the USS Hake headed to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for an overhaul that lasted from the end of August until the end of December. After the work was completed, she sailed to Pearl Harbor to operate in the Pacific war zone.
Her first Pacific war patrol began on December 27 in the waters off the Philippines. The USS Hake sank the Japanese aircraft transport Nigitsu Maru on January 11, 1944. On January 26, her torpedoes sank the auxiliary netlayer Shuko Maru. She sank the cargo ship Nanka Maru and the troop transport Tacoma Maru on February 1. Twelve days later, she sank an enemy sampan. This busy patrol ended a week later at Fremantle.
After refitting at Fremantle, the USS Hake departed to patrol the South China Sea on March 18. Nine days later, she sank the merchant tanker Yamamizu Maru with her torpedoes. On April 2, she damaged the tanker Tarakan Maru. The submarine then returned to Fremantle on April 30.
The USS Hake began her fifth war patrol on May 23, heading to the area southwest of Mindanao. She sank the Japanese destroyer Kazagumo on June 8 and the troop transport Kinshu Maru on June 17. Three days later, the submarine sank the cargo ship Hibi Maru. Her patrol ended on July 11 at Fremantle.
On August 5, the USS Hake began her next patrol of the Philippines. Over a month later, on September 6, she sank the Japanese destroyer Hibiki. This patrol ended at Fremantle on September 24. She headed out to the South China Sea on October 20 for her seventh war patrol. On November 19, she damaged the enemy cruiser Isuzu. The submarine delivered supplies to Panay, Philippines on December 5, evacuating 29 American aviators who had been shot down by the Japanese. She pulled in at Fremantle 11 days later.
The USS Hake spent an uneventful patrol of the South China Sea from January 12 until March 13, 1945. She then sailed from San Francisco, California to Mare Island Navy Yard for a major overhaul. Once the work was completed, she began her ninth and final patrol of World War II on July 20 in the waters off Honshu. The submarine provided lifeguard duties during air strikes against the Japanese home islands until the cessation of hostilities. She was one of 12 submarines present at Tokyo Bay on September 2 for the Japanese surrender ceremony.
After World War II, the USS Hake sailed back to New London, Connecticut via the Panama Canal. She was decommissioned on July 13, 1946. Ten years later, she was taken out of reserve on October 15, 1956 to serve as a Reserve Training Ship out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On November 6, 1962, she was reclassified as an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-256. The submarine served as a training ship until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1967. She was sold for scrap on December 5, 1972. The USS Hake earned seven 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
