USS Saury (SS-189)
History of the USS Saury Submarine
The USS Saury (SS-189) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before World War II began. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Connecticut on June 28, 1937. She was launched on August 20, 1938 and commissioned on April 3, 1939 under the command of Lieutenant G.W. Patterson, Jr.
The USS Saury spent her early career in experimental work out of New London, Connecticut. She visited New York City for the 1939 World’s Fair. On December 21, she joined Submarine Squadron 6, Submarine Division 16 at San Diego, California. The submarine participated in exercises, upkeep, and Fleet Problem XXI over the next two years until she was assigned to Cavite in the Philippines. She arrived at Manila in November 1941, less than a month before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
On December 8, the USS Saury departed Manila for her first war patrol off the San Bernardino Strait. She made several failed attack attempts and had to dodge enemy depth charges as well. Her patrol ended at Surabaya on January 30, 1942.
After refitting, the USS Saury sailed for her second war patrol on February 9 off Celebes. Though she was forced to dive to avoid enemy depth charges, the submarine did not damage Japanese shipping before putting in at Fremantle on March 17.
The USS Saury got underway for her third war patrol on April 28, but had to return due to mechanical failure. After repairs were completed, she resumed her patrol on May 7. On May 26, she sank the Japanese transport Kagi Maru. This patrol ended on June 28 at Fremantle.
Her fourth war patrol began on July 31, and the USS Saury was ordered to the Philippines. On August 24, her torpedoes damaged the Japanese transport Otowasan Maru. She sank the aircraft transport Kanto Maru on September 11. The submarine put in at Fremantle 12 days later.
On Halloween, the USS Saury set out for her fifth war patrol off New Britain. Out of 27 enemy surface contacts, the submarine was only able to make four attacks. Out of 13 torpedoes that she fired, only one may have scored a hit. When her patrol ended on December 21 at Pearl Harbor, she was sent on to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Saury departed Pearl Harbor for her sixth war patrol on May 7, 1943 off Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. She sank the Japanese tanker Akatsuki Maru on May 28. Two days later, her torpedoes sank the transport Takamisan Maru and damaged the merchant ship Hakozaki. This patrol ended on June 13 at Pearl Harbor.
The USS Saury sailed for her seventh war patrol on July 13 off Okinawa. On July 31, she was rammed by a Japanese escort when she attempted to attack a convoy. The damage took her periscopes and her radar out of commission, forcing her to sail blind. The submarine made temporary repairs before heading back to Pearl Harbor on August 12 via Midway.
Repairs were completed at Pearl Harbor, and the USS Saury conducted her eighth war patrol from October 4 until November 26, making no enemy surface contacts. Her ninth patrol of the East China Sea lasted from December 21 until Valentine’s Day 1944, also without making any enemy contacts. Bad weather during her ninth patrol led to a number of problems that needed quick repairs. She put in at Pearl Harbor on February 21 and was ordered on to Mare Island Navy Yard for permanent repairs and overhaul.
The USS Saury returned to Pearl Harbor when her yard work was finished, and she set sail for her tenth war patrol on June 29 off San Bernardino Strait. Battling cracked cylinders early in her patrol, she was unable to make any successful attacks before she arrived on August 23 at Majuro.
On September 20, the USS Saury commenced her eleventh and final war patrol off the Ryukyu Islands. The submarine rescued a downed naval aviator from a VF-8. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese merchant ship Asahi Maru No. 11 on November 18. She ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor 11 days later.
The USS Saury spent the remainder of World War II as a target for antisubmarine warfare training in Hawaii. She was decommissioned on June 22, 1946, struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 19, 1946, and sold for scrap on May 19, 1947. The submarine 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
