USS Puffer (SS-268)
History of the USS Puffer Submarine
The USS Puffer (SS-268) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Wisconsin on February 16, 1942. She was launched on November 22, 1942 and commissioned on April 27, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander M.J. Jensen.
The USS Puffer was transported down the Mississippi River from Manitowoc to New Orleans, Louisiana on a floating dry dock. She participated in exercises off Panama before heading to Australia. Her first war patrol in Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea lasted from September 7 until October 17, 1943. The submarine damaged the Japanese tanker Kumagawa Maru on October 9, and the resulting depth charge attack caused enough damage that she had end her patrol early, returning to Fremantle for repairs.
Her second patrol commenced on November 24, and the USS Puffer sailed for the Sulu Sea. On December 20, she sank the Japanese torpedo boat Fuyo. Her torpedoes sank the army cargo ship Ryuyo Maru on New Year’s Day 1944. This patrol ended at Fremantle 11 days later.
After refitting, the USS Puffer headed for the South China Sea on February 4, her third war patrol. Her torpedoes sank the Japanese troop transport Teiko Maru on February 22. She put in at Fremantle on April 4.
The USS Puffer got underway for her fourth war patrol on April 30 in the Sulu Sea. On May 18, she sank the Japanese army cargo ship Shinryu Maru. Her torpedoes sank the underway replenishment vessel Ashizuri and the oiler Takasaki on June 5, also damaging the tanker Hishi Maru No. 2. She ended her patrol on June 21 at Fremantle.
On July 14, the USS Puffer departed for her fifth war patrol of Makassar Strait, the Celebes Sea, the Sulu Sea, and the South China Sea. She damaged the Japanese fleet oiler Sunosaki on August 1 with her torpedoes. Six days later, she sank the auxiliary submarine chaser Kyo Maru No. 2. Her torpedoes sank the merchant tanker Teikon Maru and damaged the tanker Shinpo Maru five days later. The submarine ended this patrol on September 1 at Pearl Harbor. From there, she was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for a major overhaul.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Puffer began her sixth war patrol on December 16 in the Nansei Shoto area. On January 10, 1945, she sank the Japanese corvette Kaibokan No. 42 and damaged the corvette Kaibokan No. 30. Her patrol ended seven days later at Guam.
The USS Puffer sailed for her seventh war patrol on February 11 in the South China Sea. While on patrol, she helped bombard Pratas Island and make a sweep of the Wake Island area before putting in at Midway on April 21.
After refitting, the USS Puffer began her eighth war patrol on May 20 in the South China Sea and the Java Sea. On July 5, she sank two sea trucks and six landing craft with her gunfire. Her patrol ended at Fremantle six days later.
The USS Puffer commenced her ninth and final war patrol in August, heading back to the Java Sea. When the Japanese surrendered, she headed home to San Francisco, California via Subic Bay. In 1946, the submarine spent time in Hawaii to train men in submarine warfare.
The USS Puffer was decommissioned on June 28, 1946 at Mare Island Navy Yard. Later that year, she was taken out of reserve to serve as a Naval Reserve Training Ship for the 13thNaval District in Seattle until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 1, 1960 and sold for scrap on November 4, 1960. The submarine received nine 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
