USS Narwhal (SS-167)
History of the USS Narwhal Submarine
The USS Narwhal (SS-167) was originally known as the USS V-5 (SC-1). She was ordered for the U.S. Navy after World War I. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on May 10, 1927. She was launched on December 17, 1928 and commissioned on May 15, 1930 under the command of Lieutenant Commander John H. Brown, Jr.
The USS V-5 trained in the Atlantic and the Caribbean until January 31, 1931. She then sailed for San Diego, California via the Panama Canal. The submarine was renamed the USS Narwhal on February 19 and received her new hull number, SS-167, on July 1. After overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard in California, she departed on February 2, 1932 for fleet exercises in Hawaii. While based in San Diego, she patrolled the West Coast and sailed with Submarine Division 12. Her homeport shifted to Pearl Harbor at the end of the decade.
On December 7, 1941, the USS Narwhal was docked at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Her gunners helped destroy two enemy torpedo planes during the action. She began her first war patrol on February 2, 1942, reconnoitering Wake Island before continuing on to the East China Sea. On February 27, her torpedoes damaged the tanker Manju Maru. The submarine then sank the transport ship Taki Maru on March 4 before ending her patrol on March 28 at Pearl Harbor.
The USS Narwhal sailed for her second war patrol on May 28 in defense of Midway. She and over a dozen other submarines scouted the surrounding waters during the Battle of Midway, but they did very little in the manner of fighting. This patrol ended when she returned to Pearl Harbor on June 13.
Her third war patrol began on July 7, and USS Narwhal headed for the Kuril Islands. On July 24, she sank the Japanese guardboat Shinsei Maru No. 83 and the merchant ships Nissho Maru and Kofuji Maru. Her torpedoes sank the merchant ship Meiwa Maru and the small tanker Koan Maru on August 1. One week later, she sank the fishing vessel Bifuku Maru. The submarine ended her patrol on September 6 at Pearl Harbor, heading next to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was completed, the USS Narwhal boarded the 7thInfantry Scout Company and sailed for Dutch Harbor, Alaska on April 18, 1943. She began her fourth war patrol on April 30. On May 11, she met with the USS Nautilus to the north of Attu, disembarking the scouts for preliminary landings to recapture the island. Her patrol ended at Pearl Harbor later that month.
The USS Narwhal headed out for her fifth war patrol on June 26, this time in the Kuril Islands. On July 11, her mission was to create a diversion to allow the USS Lapon, USS Permit, and USS Plunger to exit the Sea of Japan. Her bombardment of the air base at Matsuwa was a success, and she had drawn so much attention that she had to dive to avoid enemy fire. This patrol ended on August 7.
On August 31, the USS Narwhal sailed for her sixth war patrol in the Marshall Islands. She sank the Japanese transport ship Hokusho Maru on September 11, which was followed by a severe depth charge attack. The submarine ended her patrol on October 2 at Brisbane.
When the USS Narwhal arrived at Brisbane, she became involved in the campaign to reoccupy the Philippines. The submarine would become the leading submarine in support of the Philippine guerilla movement, completing nine secret transport missions.
Her seventh war patrol began on October 23; she was loaded with 92 tons of ammunition and a party of 10 men. She was fired upon by two Japanese ships on November 10. Three days later, she disembarked her passengers and half of her cargo at Ptiluan Bay off the starboard side of the Dona Jitana Maru. Two nights later, she arrived at Nasipit, Mindanao to unload the rest of her cargo while a Filipino band played “Anchors Aweigh.” The submarine helped evacuate eight women, two children, a baby, and 21 other people from the island. She ended her patrol at Darwin on November 22.
The USS Narwhal began her eighth war patrol on November 25, just three days after she had arrived in Darwin. She again ferried Army operatives and supplies to Mindanao, arriving on December 2 at Buttian Bay. The submarine picked up seven evacuees before sailing to Majacalar Bay the next day, picking up nine more evacuees. On December 5, she stood out of Alajacalar Bay. That same morning, she sank the Hinteno Maru with her gunfire. Six days later, she brought her passengers to Darwin before ending her patrol on December 18 at Fremantle.
From January 18, 1944 until February 15, the USS Narwhal conducted her ninth war patrol. She transported more troops, supplies, and evacuees before returning to Darwin. Her tenth patrol from February 16 to March 20 brought more of the same. On March 3, she damaged the Japanese vessel Karatsu and was forced to dive to avoid the retaliatory depth charge attack. This patrol ended at Fremantle, having successfully completed her transport missions despite enemy fire.
On May 7, the USS Narwhal departed for her eleventh war patrol. She transported men and supplies at Alusan, Samar and the southwest coast of Mindanao. The submarine ended her patrol on June 9 at Darwin.
The USS Narwhal sailed for her twelfth war patrol on June 10. This time, she performed reconnaissance work and destroyed enemy gasoline stores on June 13. Under enemy fire, she had to retreat and rely on native boats to help her unload her cargo and take on evacuees. She evaded a submarine chaser, and she fired upon a Japanese sea truck and a tanker the following day. The submarine delivered the evacuees to Darwin on June 29 before ending her patrol on July 7 at Fremantle.
Her thirteenth war patrol lasted from August 12 until September 10, and the USS Narwhal continued her transport missions. The fourteenth patrol began on September 14, and she recovered 31 liberated prisoners of war (POWs) who had been rescued from sunken Japanese transports. On September 30, she ran into trouble with a Japanese antisubmarine patrol plane, but she was able to dive to avoid damage. Her patrol ended on October 5.
The USS Narwhal sailed for her fifteenth and final war patrol on October 11. She was nearly attacked by a PBY Catalina on Friday the 13th, but one the aircraft recognized her and signaled “GOOD LUCK NARWHAL.” The submarine delivered her troops, cargo, and evacuees before putting in at Brisbane on November 2.
On January 6, 1945, the USS Narwhal departed Brisbane for the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania via the Panama Canal. She was decommissioned there on April 23, 1945, struck from the Naval Vessel Register on May 19, 1945, and sold for scrap on November 16, 1945. The submarine earned 15 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
