USS Hammerhead (SS-364)
History of the USS Hammerhead Submarine
The USS Hammerhead (SS-364) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Wisconsin on May 5, 1943. She was launched on October 24, 1943 and commissioned on March 1, 1944 under the command of Commander J. C. Martin.
The USS Hammerhead began her first war patrol on June 6, 1944. She and her wolf pack patrolled the area south of Formosa, where she sank a sampan on June 9. The submarine damaged several ships on June 30. Her patrol ended on August 17 at Fremantle.
On September 9, the USS Hammerhead left to start her second war patrol of the Java Sea and the South China Sea. Her torpedoes sank three ships on October 1 – the Japanese cargo ship Higane Maru and the ore carriers Kokusei Maru and Hiyori Maru. She sank the troop transport Oyo Maru and the cargo ship Ugo Maru on October 20 before returning to Fremantle on November 2.
At the end of the month, on November 25, the USS Hammerhead departed to begin her patrol of the South China Sea. On December 8, she helped sink the merchant tanker Shoei Maru, sharing the kill with the USS Paddle. The submarine returned to Fremantle on January 17, 1945.
After refitting at Fremantle, the USS Hammerhead sailed for the coast of Indochina on February 19. Four days later, she sank the Japanese frigate Yaku with her torpedoes. This patrol ended on March 3 at Subic Bay when her commanding officer became ill. She left for her fifth patrol only a week later, headed back for the coast of Indochina. The submarine sank the corvette Kaibokan No. 84 on March 29 before returning to Subic Bay on April 6.
The USS Hammerhead began her sixth patrol on May 3, this time in the Gulf of Siam. She sank the fleet tanker Kinrei Maru just three days into the patrol. Nine days later, her torpedoes sank the transport Tottori Maru. She pulled in at Fremantle on May 25.
Her seventh and final war patrol started on June 21, again in the Gulf of Siam. She sank the merchant cargo ship Sakura Maru and the merchant tanker Nanmei Maru No. 5 on July 10. The submarine was still on patrol when the Japanese capitulated on August 15, and she pulled in at Pearl Harbor six days later.
With World War II over, the USS Hammerhead was decommissioned on February 9, 1946. When the Korean War broke out, she was briefly recommissioned for training duty off the coast of California from February 6, 1952 until August 21, 1953.
The USS Hammerhead was then converted to a GUPPY submarine before being briefly recommissioned on July 16, 1954 to prepare for transfer to the Turkish Navy. She was decommissioned on October 23, 1954 and recommissioned for Turkey as TCG Cerbe (S-341). Though she was initially on loan to the Turkish Navy, she was formally sold to Turkey and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 1, 1972. The Turkish Navy decommissioned her on May 4, 1972 and she was sold for scrap. The submarine earned seven battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation 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
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships – USS Hammerhead
