USS Piper (SS-409)
History of the USS Piper Submarine
The USS Piper (SS-409) 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, 1944. She was launched on June 26, 1944 and commissioned on August 23, 1944 under the command of Commander Bernard F. McMahon.
The USS Piper departed Pearl Harbor for her first war patrol south of Japan on January 25, 1945 as the leader of a five-ship wolf pack. Exactly one month later, she sank the Japanese guardboat Hosen Mar No. 3 with her gunfire. At the end of March, she helped protect the badly damaged aircraft carrier USS Franklin. Her patrol ended on March 30 at Midway.
After refitting, the USS Piper began her second war patrol on April 26 in the company of another wolf pack. They patrolled the Sea of Okhotsk until the end of May, when the submarine detached from her pack. She sank a Japanese merchant vessel on May 27 before putting in at Pearl Harbor on June 13.
On July 19, the USS Piper commenced her third and final war patrol. She spent the first four days in August at Guam for some advanced training. She then proceeded toward the Sea of Japan. The submarine sank two small Japanese vessels on August 11, just four days before the war ended. On August 14, she rescued six prisoners of war (POWs). She headed for Pearl Harbor on September 3.
After World War II, the USS Piper spent five years operating out of New London, Connecticut. During this time, she cruised to Nassau, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, and she underwent several overhauls. The submarine was deployed to the Mediterranean with the Sixth Fleet on May 2, 1950. When she returned home, she headed to Guantanamo Bay for special exercises.
The USS Piper underwent Fleet Snorkel conversion at Charleston Naval Shipyard in South Carolina in June 1951. Operating out of New London, she spent the next four years sailing the East Coast and the Caribbean. The submarine participated in her second deployment with the Sixth Fleet in July 1955. The following January brought her back to the Caribbean.
Rear Admiral Charles W. Wilkins chose the USS Piper for his flagship on July 1, 1957, as his wife had christened the submarine when she launched. She participated in fleet exercises and spent nearly a year in flagship capacity before she was relieved by the USS Seawolf.
The USS Piper spent the next few years participating in fleet exercises and training activities. She was deployed to the Caribbean during the Cuban Missile Crisis before another Mediterranean cruise. By March 22, 1967, the submarine had to be restricted to surface operations due to the deterioration of her main storage battery. She had completed 13,724 dives, a record for commissioned submarines at the time.
The USS Piper was reclassified as AGSS-409 on June 15 and decommissioned on June 16, 1967. She served as a Naval Reserve Training submarine until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 1, 1970. The submarine was sold for scrap in June 1971. The USS Piper 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
