USS Pompano (SS-181)
History of the USS Pompano Submarine
The USS Pompano (SS-181) was ordered for the U.S. Navy between World War I and World War II. Her keel was laid down at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on January 14, 1936. She was launched on March 11, 1937 and commissioned on June 12, 1937 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Lewis S. Parks.
During her early career, the USS Pompano operated out of Mare Island in training and patrol duty. She was en route to Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. Her first war patrol began on December 18, and she was ordered to reconnoiter the Marshall Islands prior to the American carrier strike the following month. She was mistaken for an enemy vessel and bombed by the USS Enterprise aircraft on December 20, but she was not damaged. The submarine arrived off Wake Island on New Year’s Day 1942, and she was close enough to view Japanese machine gun posts. She attacked a small convoy on January 12, scoring two torpedo hits, and made another failed attack five days later. Her patrol ended on January 31 at Pearl Harbor.
The USS Pompano sailed for her second war patrol on April 20 in the East China Sea. On May 24, she sank the Japanese fishing vessel Kotoku Maru with her gunfire. Her torpedoes sank the tanker Tokyo Maru the following day. Five days later, she sank the troop transport Atsuya Maru. Her fuel was running low, so she headed east because enemy action was likely to prevent her from refueling at Midway. Along the way on June 3, she set a small vessel on fire. Two days later, she sank a trawler with her gunfire. The submarine put in at Pearl Harbor on June 18.
After a month of refitting, the USS Pompano departed for her third war patrol on July 19 in the Japanese home waters. On August 7, she made a failed attack on a large freighter. Two days later, she was damaged by an attack from an enemy destroyer. The submarine attacked another freighter on August 12, but the kill was not confirmed. After several other failed attacks, she sank the Japanese guardboat Nanshin Maru No. 27 on September 4, taking one survivor as a prisoner of war (POW). Eight days later, she returned to Pearl Harbor. From there, she was sent to Mare Island Navy Yard for an overhaul that kept her out of battle for the remainder of the year.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Pompano commenced her fourth war patrol on January 16, 1943. She provided reconnaissance off Kwajalein on January 25 before moving on to patrol off Truk. On January 30, she damaged a Japanese tanker. Her torpedoes damaged another tanker on February 4. The submarine attempted another attack on a tanker 14 days later, but the resulting depth charge attack allowed her target to escape. Her patrol ended on February 28 at Midway.
The USS Pompano got underway for her fifth war patrol on March 19 in the Japanese home waters. During this patrol, she only encountered four possible targets, one of them the aircraft carrier Shokaku. The submarine put in at Pearl Harbor on May 10 without scoring any kills.
On June 6, the USS Pompano returned to the Japanese home waters for her sixth war patrol. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese oiler Kyokuyo Maru on July 10. Ten days later, she damaged the transport Uyo Maru. This patrol ended eight days later at Midway.
The USS Pompano departed for her seventh and final war patrol on August 20 off Honshu and Hokkaido. She sank the Japanese merchant ship Nankai Maru on September 1 and the Akama Maru two days later. Her torpedoes damaged the transport Nanking Maru on September 9. The submarine was also credited with sinking the Taiko Maru on September 25. She did not report these kills herself, as the U.S. Navy never heard from her again after she’d left Midway.
Post-war reports showed no Japanese antisubmarine attacks in her patrol area during this time, so it was assumed that she was destroyed by newly-laid enemy mines. Later examination of the records show that a submarine was sunk by an air attack on September 17 and that the minelayer Ashikazi dropped depth charges near an oil slick the following day, but neither would allow for the sinking of the Taiku Maru a week later. The submarine was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on January 12, 1944. She received seven 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
