USS Ray (SS-271)
History of the USS Ray Submarine
The USS Ray (SS-271) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company of Wisconsin on July 20, 1942. She was launched on February 28, 1943 and commissioned on July 27, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander B.J. Harral.
The USS Ray arrived at Brisbane on October 30, 1943 before shifting to Milne Bay, New Guinea. She began her first war patrol on November 13 north of the Bismarck Archipelago. Thirteen days later, she sank the Japanese army cargo ship Nikkai Maru with her torpedoes. Her patrol ended on December 6.
On December 11, the USS Ray sailed for her second war patrol in the Banda Sea. She sank the Japanese fleet tanker Kyoko Maru the day after Christmas. Her torpedoes sank the auxiliary gunboat Okuyo Maru on January 1, 1944. She put in at Fremantle 11 days later.
Her third war patrol commenced on February 6 in the Java Sea and the South China Sea. On February 22, she laid mines off Saigon. This patrol ended on March 27 at Fremantle.
The USS Ray got underway for her fourth war patrol on April 23 in the Philippines. On May 22, she sank the Japanese army cargo ship Tempei Maru. Along with the USS Cero, she helped damage the tanker Kenwa Maru the following day. She returned to Fremantle on June 14.
After refitting at Fremantle, the USS Ray headed out for her fifth war patrol on July 9 in the South China Sea. Eleven days later, she sank the Japanese merchant tanker Jambi Maru. On August 4, she sank the army cargo ship Koshu Maru. Her torpedoes sank the merchant cargo ship Zuisho Maru 10 days later. The submarine moved on to sink the merchant tanker Taketoyo Maru on August 21 before putting in at Fremantle 10 days later.
The USS Ray sailed for her sixth war patrol on September 23 in the South China Sea. She sank the Japanese troop transport Toko Maru on October 12. On November 1, she landed men and supplies on the west coast of Mindoro and sank the tanker Horai Maru No. 7. Three days later, she shared the sinking of the transport Kagu Maru with the USS Guitarro and the USS Bream. The submarine moved on to sink the corvette Kaibokan No. 7 10 days later. Her patrol ended on December 8 at Pearl Harbor.
From Pearl Harbor, the USS Ray was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul. She arrived back at Guam on April 29, 1945, and began her seventh war patrol in the Japanese home waters the following day. The submarine sank a small Japanese vessel with her gunfire on May 19 and six more vessels four days later. Two days after that, she sank the schooner Tsuki Maru, and three more small vessels the following day. Her gunfire sank two small vessels on May 27, four on May 28, and one more small vessel on May 30. This patrol ended on June 16 at Midway.
On July 11, the USS Ray departed for her eighth and final war patrol in the Gulf of Siam. The first week in August was quite busy – she sank a small Japanese vessel on August 2, three vessels on August 3, three more on August 4, two on August 5, and an amazing 24 small vessels on August 7. Having used up much of her ammunition, the submarine ended her patrol at Subic Bay on August 13, just two days before the Japanese capitulation.
After World War II, the USS Ray headed home to New London, Connecticut, where she served as a training sub until she was decommissioned on February 12, 1947. She was towed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to undergo conversion as a radar picket submarine in December 1950. The submarine was redesignated as SSR-271 on January 3, 1951 and recommissioned on August 13, 1952.
Over the next few years, the USS Ray participated in training operations, fleet exercises, and several Sixth Fleet deployments to the Mediterranean. She took part in NATO Exercises Strikeback in the autumn of 1957. The submarine was decommissioned on September 30, 1958 and struck from the Naval Register on April 1, 1960 before being sold for scrap on December 18, 1960. She received seven battle stars and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation 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
