USS Pipefish (SS-388)
History of the USS Pipefish Submarine
The USS Pipefish (SS-388) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on May 31, 1943. She was launched on October 12, 1943 and commissioned on January 22, 1944 under the command of Lieutenant Commander William N. Deragon.
The USS Pipefish arrived at Pearl Harbor on May 3, 1944. Her first war patrol began on May 24 in the waters west of the Mariana Islands. She provided lifeguarding services for the pre-invasion strikes on Saipan, rescuing one downed aviator on June 12. The submarine sailed Surigao Strait to block Japanese ships from escaping the Battle of the Philippine Sea as well. This patrol ended on July 12 at Majuro.
On August 6, the USS Pipefish sailed for her second war patrol off the southeastern coast of Honshu. She sank the Japanese auxiliary vessel Hakutetsu Maru No. 7. While avoiding the resulting depth charge attack, she hit bottom three times. Six days later, her torpedoes damaged the troop transport Rokko Maru. She ended her patrol on September 27 at Pearl Harbor.
After refitting, the USS Pipefish departed Pearl Harbor on October 28 for her third war patrol in the South China Sea and off Formosa with a small wolf pack. She was damaged by aerial bombs on November 30, but she was able to remain on patrol. On December 3, she sank the Japanese corvette Kaibokan No. 64. Her patrol ended at Majuro on January 6, 1945.
Her fourth patrol began on January 31, and the USS Pipefish headed to the Ryukyu Islands. This patrol ended at Midway on March 26 without making any enemy contacts, though she did provide lifeguard services in the Nansei Shoto area. She conducted her fifth war patrol off Honshu from April 28 until June 16, where she also performed lifeguard duty. The submarine rescued eight downed aviators before putting in at Midway.
The USS Pipefish sailed for her sixth and final war patrol on July 15 off the east coast of Kyushu. She conducted lifeguard duties and destroyed eight floating naval mines before the Japanese capitulated. Her patrol ended on August 28 at Pearl Harbor.
After World War II, the USS Pipefish was decommissioned on March 19, 1946. She was redesignated as an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-388, on December 1, 1962. The submarine was removed from the Naval Vessel Register on March 1, 1967 and sold for scrap on January 20, 1969. She earned six 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
