USS Sawfish (SS-276)
History of the USS Sawfish Submarine
The USS Sawfish (SS-276) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on January 20, 1942. She was launched on June 23, 1942 and commissioned on August 26, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Eugene T. Sands.
The USS Sawfish arrived at Pearl Harbor on January 21, 1943. She began her first war patrol on January 31 south of Japan. On February 17, she accidentally sank the Russian merchant ships, Ilmen and Kola, mistaking them for Japanese vessels. Four days later, her torpedoes damaged the Japanese fleet oiler Ose. The submarine damaged the army cargo ship Cyde Maru on March 6. She moved on to sink the guardboat Shinsei Maru on March 20 before putting in at Midway five days later.
After refitting, the USS Sawfish headed out on April 15 for her second war patrol off Honshu. On May 5, she sank the Japanese auxiliary gunboat Hakkai Maru. This patrol ended on June 6 at Pearl Harbor.
On June 30, the USS Sawfish sailed for her third war patrol in the East China Sea. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese ammunition ship Seia Maru on July 22 and sank the minelayer Hirashima five days later. The submarine put in at Pearl Harbor on August 10.
The USS Sawfish conducted her uneventful fourth war patrol in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk from September 10 until October 16. She departed Midway for her fifth war patrol on November 1 off the Bonin Islands. On December 8, she sank the Japanese troop transport Sansei Maru. When she returned to Midway on December 19, she was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Sawfish sailed from Pearl Harbor for her sixth war patrol of the Japanese home waters on April 8, 1944. She claimed two torpedo hits on a Japanese cargo ship on April 25, but no damage was credited. This patrol ended on May 26 at Majuro.
Her seventh war patrol commenced on June 24, and the USS Sawfish headed for Luzon Strait. Four days later, she sank the Japanese submarine I-29. She returned to Pearl Harbor on August 15.
The USS Sawfish got underway for her eighth war patrol on September 9 in the waters south of Formosa. On October 6, she sank the Japanese merchant tanker Tachibana Maru. While on lifeguard duty, she rescued a downed aviator on October 16 who had been adrift for four and a half days without any provisions. Her torpedoes sank the seaplane carrier Kimikawa Maru seven days later. The submarine ended her patrol on November 8 at Majuro.
On December 17, the USS Sawfish began her ninth war patrol off Formosa. Her entire patrol was spent on lifeguard duty, and she rescued a pilot on January 21, 1945. This patrol ended on February 4 at Guam.
The USS Sawfish sailed for her tenth and final war patrol on March 10, providing lifeguard services off the Nansei Shoto. When she returned to Pearl Harbor on April 26, the submarine was ordered to San Francisco, California to put in for overhaul by the Bethlehem Steel Company.
World War II ended as the USS Sawfish was headed back to Hawaii. After the war, she was sent back to serve as a training ship for the West Coast Fleet Sound School. The submarine was decommissioned on June 26, 1946. In May 1947, she was taken out of reserve to serve as a Naval Reserve Training Ship at San Pedro, California. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 1, 1960 and sold for scrap on December 2, 1960. The USS Sawfish earned eight 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
