USS Kingfish (SS-234)
History of the USS Kingfish Submarine
The USS Kingfish (SS-234) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before the United States entered World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on August 29, 1941. She was launched on March 2, 1942 and commissioned on May 20, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Vernon L. “Rebel” Lowrance.
The USS Kingfish arrived at Pearl Harbor on August 31, 1942. She began her first war patrol on September 9 in the waters surrounding the Japanese home islands. On October 1, her torpedoes sank the merchant cargo ship Yomei Maru. She sank the auxiliary gunboat Seikyo Maru on October 23 before ending her patrol on November 3 at Midway.
On November 25, the USS Kingfish departed Midway for her second patrol off Formosa. Her torpedoes sank the Japanese army cargo ship Hino Maru No. 3 on December 7 and the merchant cargo ship Choyo Maru on December 28. The submarine sank two sailing vessels with gunfire on January 7, 1943. She put in at Pearl Harbor on January 23.
Her third war patrol began on February 16, and the USS Kingfish returned to the waters off Formosa. She sank a large Japanese sampan on March 4 with her gunfire. On March 17, her torpedoes damaged the transport ship Tenryugawa Maru. Six days later, she was damaged by a depth patrol attack and forced to end her patrol.
The USS Kingfish returned to Pearl Harbor on April 9. From there, she headed to Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs and refitting. Once the work was completed, the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor. Her fourth war patrol of the South China Sea lasted from July 1 to August 25, and she pulled in at Fremantle without a single kill.
On September 24, the USS Kingfish departed for her fifth war patrol of the South China Sea. She landed troops and supplies on October 6 on the northern coast of Borneo. Three days later, her torpedoes damaged the Japanese fleet oiler Hayatomo. The submarine laid mines off Cape Pepe in the Makassar Strait the following day. On October 20, her torpedoes sank the merchant cargo ship Sana Maru. This successful patrol ended on November 14 at Fremantle.
The USS Kingfish sailed for her sixth war patrol on December 16, heading back to the South China Sea. She sank the Japanese fleet tankers Bokeui Maru and Ryuei Maru on January 3, 1944. Four days later, her torpedoes sank the merchant tanker Fushimi Maru No. 3. The submarine ended her patrol on January 26 at Pearl Harbor.
After refitting, the USS Kingfish conducted her seventh patrol of the Mariana Islands from February 19 to April 9. This and her next patrol of the Bonin Islands, from May 1 until June 19, ended without any enemy kills. From Midway, she headed to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul. While there, one of the mines she laid sank the Japanese cargo ship Nikko Maru on July 1.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Kingfish returned to Pearl Harbor. She began her ninth overhaul on October 12, returning to the Bonin Islands. The submarine sank the Japanese cargo ship Ikutagawa Maru on October 24. Three days later, she sank the landing ship T-138 and the cargo ship Tokai Maru No. 4. She ended her patrol on November 28 at Guam.
The USS Kingfish returned to the Bonin Islands for her tenth war patrol on December 23. Her torpedoes sank the Japanese merchant cargo ships Yaei Maru, Shibazono Maru, and the army cargo ship Shoto Maru on January 3, 1945. Her patrol ended on February 1 at Guam.
Her next patrol began on March 6 in the company of a wolf pack. The USS Kingfish rescued four downed British aviators in late March before she returned to Pearl Harbor on April 25.
On June 17, the USS Kingfish left for her twelfth and final war patrol off the coast of Honshu. She sank two Japanese sampans on August 5. While on patrol, she exploded a number of floating mines. Her patrol ended at Midway on August 15, two hours before the war ended.
After World War II, the USS Kingfish arrived at Galveston, Texas on August 27 via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal. She sailed to Orange, Texas to participate in Navy Day celebrations on October 25. From there, she headed to New London, Connecticut, where she was decommissioned on March 9, 1946. The submarine was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1960 and sold for scrap on October 6 that same year. She earned nine 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
