USS Pike (SS-173)
History of the USS Pike Submarine
The USS Pike (SS-173) was ordered for the U.S. Navy between World War I and World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on December 20, 1933. She was launched on September 12, 1935 and commissioned on December 2, 1935 under the command of Lieutenant Heber H. “Tex” McClean.
After shakedown, the USS Pike headed to Naval Station San Diego in California. Her early career was spent participating in maneuvers off Hawaii. On December 1, 1939, she joined Submarine Squadron 5 in the Philippines. The submarine cruised the coast of China from June 20, 1940 until August 24 before returning to Cavite.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the USS Pike sailed for her first war patrol the very next day. She patrolled the shipping lanes between Manila and Hong Kong for approximately one week. Her second war patrol lasted from New Year’s Eve until January 24, 1942, when she put in at Darwin without having made any enemy contacts.
The USS Pike headed out for her third war patrol on February 5, ending at Fremantle on March 28. She conducted her fourth war patrol from April 19 until May 25 north of Palau and off Wake Island. Five days later, she began her fifth war patrol in the waters north of Oahu. When this patrol ended at Pearl Harbor on June 9, the submarine was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Overhaul took the USS Pike out of battle for several months. In December, she guided bombers to Wake Island. The submarine was damaged by enemy bombs and depth charges on January 14, 1943, forcing her to return to Pearl Harbor for repairs.
The USS Pike began her next patrol on March 31 in the Caroline Islands. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese transport Madras Maru on April 14. Eleven days later, she bombarded Satawan Island. Her patrol ended at Pearl Harbor.
On July 22, the USS Pike commenced her final war patrol off Marcus Island. She sank the Japanese transport Shoju Maru on August 5 with her torpedoes. Her torpedoes damaged the transport Toun Maru 17 days later. After her patrol ended at Pearl Harbor, she sailed for New London, Connecticut on September 28. The submarine arrived there on November 3 and spent the remainder of World War II training submarine crews at Naval Submarine Base New London.
The USS Pike was decommissioned on November 15, 1945. She served as a Naval Reserve training ship from September 1946 until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on February 17, 1956. The submarine was sold for scrap on January 14, 1957. She earned four 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
