USS Seadragon (SS-194)
History of the USS Seadragon Submarine
The USS Seadragon (SS-194) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before the outbreak of World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Connecticut on April 18, 1938. She was launched on April 18, 1939 and commissioned on October 23, 1939 under the command of Lieutenant John G. Johns.
The USS Seadragon spent her early career operating out of New London until she joined the Asiatic Fleet at Cavite on November 30, 1940. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, she was preparing to undergo overhaul at Cavite Navy Yard. Three days later, she was damaged in an air raid that destroyed the USS Sealion; five men were wounded and one man was killed. The submarine headed south to Surabaya with the destroyer USS Bulmer.
On December 30, the USS Seadragon began her first war patrol off the coast of Indochina. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese merchant ship Fukuyo Maru on January 23, 1942. She sank the transport Tamagawa Maru on February 2. Three days later, she evacuated personnel, ordnance, and equipment from Corregidor, delivering them to Surabaya on February 13 when she ended her patrol. The submarine was then ordered to Fremantle.
After refitting, the USS Seadragon departed Fremantle on March 16 for her second war patrol. On April 8, she delivered seven tons of food and some of her diesel to Corregidor, evacuating 24 radio and communications intelligence personnel. She put in at Fremantle on April 26.
The USS Seadragon sailed for her third war patrol on June 11 in the South China Sea. On July 12, she sank the Japanese transport Himaya Maru. Her torpedoes sank the transport Shinyo Maru the following day and the transport Kakodate Maru three days later. This patrol ended on August 2 at Fremantle.
Her fourth war patrol commenced on August 26, and the USS Seadragon headed for the South China Sea off French Indochina. On October 10, she sank the Japanese troop transport Shigure Maru. Her patrol ended at Fremantle 10 days later, moving on to Brisbane before her next patrol.
On November 23, the USS Seadragon departed Brisbane for her fifth war patrol off the Bismarck Archipelago. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese merchant ship Johore Maru on December 11. She sank the submarine I-4 on December 20. On Christmas Day, she damaged the transport Nankai Maru with her torpedoes. The submarine ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor on January 7, 1943.
From Pearl Harbor, the USS Seadragon was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul. Once her work was complete, she returned to Pearl Harbor. Her sixth war patrol began on May 9 in the Carolines and the Marshall Islands. After reconnoitering Ponape in early June, the submarine damaged a Japanese freighter on June 13. This patrol ended on June 21 at Midway, and she proceeded to Pearl Harbor to repair her steering gear.
The USS Seadragon conducted her seventh war patrol from July 18 until August 30 in the Marshall Islands, damaging five freighters before she returned to Pearl Harbor. On September 24, she began her eighth war patrol in the Marshall Islands. The submarine damaged a Japanese transport on October 13 before her patrol ended on November 5 at Pearl Harbor.
After refitting, the USS Seadragon got underway for her ninth war patrol on December 14 in the Caroline Islands. She damaged the Japanese ammunition ship Irako on January 20, 1944. When she returned to Pearl Harbor on February 5, she was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Seadragon returned to Pearl Harbor and sailed for her tenth war patrol on April 1 off Honshu. On April 23, she sank the Japanese merchant ship Taiju Maru. Four days later, her torpedoes damaged the merchant ship Hawaii Maru. The submarine sank a trawler on May 17 with her gunfire. She ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor on May 25.
From Pearl Harbor, the USS Seadragon was again ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard for overhaul. Upon her return to Pearl Harbor, she sailed for her eleventh war patrol on September 23 in the company of a small wolf pack. On October 24, she sank the Japanese transports Daiten Maru, Eiko Maru, and the passenger/cargo ship Kokuryu Maru. The submarine put in on November 8 at Midway.
The USS Seadragon headed out for her twelfth and final war patrol on December 3 off the Bonin Islands. This uneventful patrol ended at Guam on January 22, 1945. From there, she returned to Pearl Harbor and then California to conduct training services for naval aviators. The submarine was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to provide training services at Key West, Florida and Guantanamo Bay.
The USS Seadragon was decommissioned on November 15, 1945. She was recommissioned briefly from February 8, 1946 until October 29, 1946 to aid in the inactivation and preservation of submarines and U-boats. The submarine was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 30, 1948 and sold for scrap on July 2 of the same year. She was awarded 11 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
