USS Picuda (SS-382)
History of the USS Picuda Submarine
The USS Picuda (SS-382) was originally planned as the USS Obispo. She was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on March 15, 1943. She was launched on July 12, 1943 and commissioned on October 16, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Albert Raborn.
The USS Picuda arrived at Pearl Harbor on January 27, 1944, joining Submarine Division 201, Submarine Squadron 20. Her first war patrol began on February 17 in the Caroline Islands. On March 2, she sank the Japanese transport Shinkyo Maru. Her torpedoes damaged the ammunition ship Aratama Maru on March 18. Two days later, she sank the supply ship Hoko Maru. The submarine also sank the transport Atlantic Maru on March 30 before ending her patrol on April 5 at Midway.
After refitting at Midway, the USS Picuda sailed for her second war patrol off Formosa on May 4 in the company of a small wolf pack. On May 22, her torpedoes sank the Japanese merchant ship Tsukuba Maru and the gunboat Hashidate. She ended her patrol at Midway exactly one month later and sailed for Pearl Harbor.
From Pearl Harbor, the USS Picuda joined another wolf pack for her third war patrol on July 23, this time in Luzon Strait. Her torpedoes sank the Japanese merchant ship Kotoku Maru and the destroyer Yunagi on August 25. On September 16, she sank the transport Tokushima Maru. Five days later, her torpedoes also sank the troop transport Awaji Maru. This patrol ended on October 3 at Majuro.
Her fourth war patrol began on October 27, and the USS Picuda headed to the East China Sea with two other submarines. On November 17, her torpedoes sank the Japanese passenger ship Mayasan Maru and the merchant tanker Awagawa Maru. Six days later, she sank the merchant ships Shoyo Maru and Fukuju Maru. The submarine put in at Guam on December 2.
On December 29, the USS Picuda sailed for her fifth war patrol in the Formosa Strait and the East China Sea. Her torpedoes caused heavy damage to the Japanese tanker Munakata Maru on January 7, 1945. The next day, she shared the sinking of the tanker Hikoshima Maru and the merchant ship Anyo Maru; she also damaged the tanker Maju Maru and the merchant ship Hisagawa Maru with her torpedoes. The submarine sank the enemy transport Clyde Maru on January 29. Her patrol ended on February 15 at Pearl Harbor.
One month later, the USS Picuda commenced her sixth and final war patrol, providing lifeguard duty near Kii Suido. She ended her patrol on May 10 at Tanapag Harbor and was send on to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for overhaul. World War II ended while she was still in the yard.
After the war, the USS Picuda reported to Submarine Case New London in Connecticut on Halloween. She served as a training ship there for the submarine school, conducting a training cruise to Cuba in November. When she returned, she was ordered to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for inactivation overhaul, but her orders changed on January 15, 1946.
The USS Picuda reported for duty with the Second Fleet as a member of Submarine Division 81, Submarine Squadron 8. She arrived at New London on February 19 and sailed for Panama with five other submarines six days later.
The USS Picuda was decommissioned on September 25, 1946. In late 1952, she was towed to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to undergo Fleet Snorkel conversion. The submarine was recommissioned on June 19, 1953 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Ted N. Swain. Her conversion was complete by August 24, and she shifted back to New London as part of Submarine Division 122, Squadron 12.
On September 17, the USS Picuda arrived at Key West, Florida via Norfolk, Virginia and Nassau, Bahamas. She operated out of Key West as a training ship for Submarine Refit Training Group until September 1959. During this time, she also made several tours of duty in the Mediterranean with the Sixth Fleet. The submarine made numerous training cruises and participated in many fleet exercises.
The USS Picuda continued to serve in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean until she was decommissioned and transferred to the Spanish Navy on October 1, 1972. She served Spain as the Narciso Monturiol (S-33). The submarine was formally sold to Spain and struck from the United States Naval Vessel Register on November 18, 1974.
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
