USS Kraken (SS-370)
History of the USS Kraken Submarine
The USS Kraken (SS-370) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Wisconsin on December 13, 1943. She was launched on April 30, 1944 and commissioned on September 8, 1944 under the command of Commander Thomas H. Henry.
The USS Kraken arrived at Pearl Harbor on November 21, 1944. She departed for her first war patrol on December 12, sailing for the coast of Indochina. This patrol consisted largely of lifeguarding services for carrier strikes of the Third Fleet, and she rescued one downed aviator of the USS Lexington. The submarine made no enemy surface contacts before she ended her patrol at Fremantle on February 14, 1945.
Her second war patrol began on March 15, and the USS Kraken returned to lifeguard duty, this time in the South China Sea. She supported the carrier strikes against Singapore and Saigon before arriving at Subic Bay on April 26.
On May 19, the USS Kraken sailed for her third war patrol in the Gulf of Siam. When she could not find any enemy targets, she headed to the Java Sea. She bombarded Merak on June 19 and sank the coaster Tachibana Maru No. 58 with her gunfire. Three days later, she sank an oiler, a coastal steam, and damaged a submarine chaser. This successful patrol ended on July 3 at Fremantle.
The USS Kraken left Fremantle for her fourth and final patrol on July 29, returning to the Java Sea. She was still on patrol when the Japanese capitulated in August 15, and she arrived at Subic Bay on August 21 to end her patrol. The submarine arrived back at San Francisco, California on September 22 via Pearl Harbor. From there, she joined the honor escort for Admiral William Halsey’s Third Fleet as he sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on the USS South Dakota, his flagship. She then celebrated Navy Day at Longview, Washington before returning to San Francisco. The sub was decommissioned on May 4, 1946.
On September 18, 1958, the USS Kraken was taken out of reserve so she could head to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for Fleet Snorkel conversion. She was transferred to the Spanish Navy on October 25, 1959, where she was commissioned as SPS Almirante Garcia de los Reyes, abbreviated A.G. de los Reyes for practical purposes.
The Spanish Navy decommissioned the submarine on September 16, 1974. The United States removed her from the Naval Vessel Register on November 1, 1974 and formally sold her to Spain. Though intended to be used for scrap, she was overhauled and recommissioned on September 1, 1975 to replace the SPS Narciso Monturiol. She was finally decommissioned in April 1981and sold for scrap. The USS Kraken earned one battle star 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
