USS Loggerhead (SS-374)
History of the USS Loggerhead Submarine
The USS Loggerhead (SS-374) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Wisconsin on April 1, 1944. She was launched on August 13, 1944 and commissioned on February 9, 1945 under the command of Commander Ralph N. Metcalf.
The USS Loggerhead was towed down the Mississippi River from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to New Orleans. From there, she transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Pearl Harbor on April 8, 1945. She began her first war patrol on May 15, heading for the Luzon Strait and the South China Sea. On June 11, she discovered an enemy hospital ship, but allowed it to pass. Three days later, she participated in the shore bombardment at Gap Rock that damaged a suspected radar installation.
From there, the USS Loggerhead moved on to provide lifeguard services south of Hong Kong. While questioning the crews of many native boats, she discovered that the Japanese were commandeering the native boats in ports they controlled. The submarine fired five torpedoes on July 13, but there is no record of this resulting in any kills. The next day, she found herself under fire from enemy shore batteries, but she managed to escape unharmed. This patrol ended on July 19 at Fremantle.
After refitting at Fremantle, the USS Loggerhead sailed for her second war patrol on August 13 in the Gulf of Siam. When the Japanese capitulated two days later, she headed for Subic Bay, arriving there on August 22. The submarine sailed for San Francisco, California via Pearl Harbor, arriving home on September 22. She was decommissioned on June 16, 1946, joining the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island Navy Yard in California.
The USS Loggerhead was reclassified as an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-374, in December 1962. She was towed to Portland to serve as a reserve training submarine until June 30, 1967, when she was relieved by the USS Rasher and struck from the Naval Vessel Register. The submarine was sold for scrap on August 29, 1969.
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 Loggerhead
