USS Rasher (SS-269)
History of the USS Rasher Submarine
The USS Rasher (SS-269) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Wisconsin on May 4, 1942. She was launched on December 20, 1942 and commissioned on June 8, 1943 under the command of Commander E.S. Hutchinson.
The USS Rasher arrived at Brisbane on September 11, 1943. She departed for her first war patrol on September 24 in the Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea. On October 9, she sank the Japanese army cargo ship Kogane Maru. Four days later, she sank another army cargo ship, the Kenkoku Maru. Her torpedoes sank the tanker Tango Maru on November 8. This patrol ended on November 24 at Fremantle.
After refitting, the USS Rasher began her second war patrol on December 19 in the South China Sea. She planted mines off Puolo Condore on January 3, 1944. The next day, she damaged the Japanese tanker Kiyo Maru with her torpedoes. She sank the tanker the following day. The submarine put in at Fremantle on January 24.
On February 19, the USS Rasher sailed for her third war patrol in the Java Sea and the Celebes Sea. Six days later, she sank the Japanese army cargo ship Ryusei Maru and the merchant cargo ship Tango Maru. Her torpedoes sank the army cargo ship Nittai Maru on March 3. On March 27, she sank the army cargo ship Nichinan Maru. Her patrol ended on April 4 when she returned to Fremantle.
The USS Rasher got underway for her fourth war patrol on April 30 in the Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea. On May 11, she sank the Japanese auxiliary vessel Choi Maru with her torpedoes. She damaged the auxiliary gunboat Anshu Maru 18 days later, sinking the gunboat the following day. The submarine sank the underway replenishment vessel Shioya on June 8 and the army cargo ship Koan Maru six days later. She returned to Fremantle on June 23.
Her fifth patrol commenced on July 22, and the USS Rasher was ordered to the South China Sea. On August 6, she sank the Japanese army cargo ship Shiroganesan Maru. Twelve days later, she had a very successful day. Her torpedoes sank the escort carrier Taiyo, the troop transport Teia Maru, the army cargo ship Eishin Maru, the oiler Teiyo Maru, and damaged the troop transport Noshiro Maru. When her patrol ended on September 3 at Pearl Harbor, the submarine was sent on to Hunters Point Navy Yard in California for a major overhaul.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Rasher headed back to the battle zone. She began her sixth war patrol of the East China Sea on January 29, 1945. Along with her wolf pack, she made several attempted attacks on enemy convoys in February, but her attacks failed. Her patrol ended on March 16 at Guam.
The USS Rasher sailed for her seventh war patrol on April 17 providing lifeguard services off the coast of Honshu. Twelve days later, she sank a small Japanese vessel with her gunfire. She put in at Midway on May 29.
On June 23, the USS Rasher departed Midway for her eighth war patrol off southern Formosa. She conducted lifeguard duty, but she was never given the opportunity to rescue any downed aviators. Her patrol ended at Subic Bay on August 14, just one day before the Japanese capitulation.
After World War II, the USS Rasher was decommissioned at New London, Connecticut on June 22, 1946. She was recommissioned on December 14, 1951 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania. The submarine was decommissioned again from May 28, 1952 until July 22, 1953 while she underwent conversion as a radar picket submarine, SSR-269.
The USS Rasher headed to her new homeport in San Diego, California. She operated along the West Coast until she was deployed with the Seventh Fleet on January 4, 1956. The submarine spent the next several years participating in fleet exercises, antisubmarine warfare training operations, and several Far East deployments, one of which included Operation Blue Star.
On July 1, 1960, the USS Rasher was reclassified as an auxiliary submarine, AGSS-269. She spent the next few years in antisubmarine warfare exercises and a number of deployments to the Vietnam War zone. When she returned to California in 1966, she provided training services for antisubmarine warfare and Navy SEAL units.
The USS Rasher was decommissioned for the last time on May 27, 1967. She was reclassified as IXSS-269 and towed to Portland to serve as a Naval Reserve Training Ship until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on December 20, 1971 and sold for scrap on August 7, 1974. The submarine earned seven battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for her service in World War II, and two battle stars for her service in the Vietnam War.
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
