USS Seal (SS-183)
History of the USS Seal Submarine
The USS Seal (SS-183) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before the start of World War II. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Connecticut on May 25, 1936. She was launched on August 27, 1937 and commissioned on April 30, 1938 under the command of Lieutenant Karl G. Hensel.
The USS Seal spent her early career based out of Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone. She conducted local operations until she sailed to Haiti for fleet exercises in January 1939. In June, she headed to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal and San Diego, California. After taking soundings for the Hydrographic Office for several months, she returned to her new homeport in San Diego.
Over the next two years, the USS Seal operated off the West Coast with Submarine Division 21. She was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet in the autumn of 1941, arriving at Manila on November 10. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the submarine departed Manila for her first war patrol on December 13. Ten days later, she sank the Japanese transport Soryu Maru. This patrol ended at Surabaya on February 5, 1942.
Several days later, the USS Seal shifted from Surabaya to Tjilatjap. Her second war patrol began on February 19. She damaged a freighter on February 24. After several failed attack attempts and problems with her equipment, the submarine put in on April 9 at Fremantle.
After refitting, the USS Seal sailed for her third war patrol on May 12 in the South China Sea. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese transport Tatsufuku Maru 16 days later. She ended her patrol on July 4 at Fremantle.
The USS Seal got underway for her fourth war patrol on August 10 in the South China Sea. On September 3, she damaged the passenger/cargo ship Kanju Maru; she sank the ship two days later. The submarine returned to Fremantle on October 2.
On October 24, the USS Seal headed out for her fifth war patrol off Palau. She sank the Japanese transport Boston Maru on November 16, but she was rammed by one of the other enemy ships and damaged enough that she had to end her patrol early. When she put in at Pearl Harbor on November 30, she was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was completed, the USS Seal departed Pearl Harbor for her sixth war patrol off Palau. On May 4, 1943, she sank the Japanese tanker San Clemente Maru. Her patrol ended on June 3 at Midway.
The USS Seal set sail for her seventh war patrol on June 24 off Honshu. During an attempted attack on July 8, she was damaged by enemy bombs and depth charges. The submarine was forced to end her patrol early on July 24 at Pearl Harbor.
After her repair work was complete, the USS Seal began her eighth war patrol on August 16 in the Kuril Islands. She made several unsuccessful attacks before putting in at Pearl Harbor on October 4.
On November 7, the USS Seal got underway for her ninth war patrol off Kwajalein. She performed lifeguard duty and conducted reconnaissance missions until December 19. Her tenth patrol involved similar activities near Ponape between January 17 and March 6, 1944.
When she put in at Pearl Harbor, the USS Seal was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard for overhaul. She returned to Pearl Harbor several months later and set out for her eleventh war patrol on August 8 off Hokkaido. On August 24, she sank the Japanese merchant ship Tosei Maru. Her torpedoes damaged the destroyer Namikaze on September 8. The next day, she sank the transport Shonana Maru. Ths submarine ended her patrol on September 17 at Midway.
The USS Seal sailed for her twelfth and final war patrol on October 10 in the Kuril Islands. Fifteen days later, she sank the Japanese transport Hakuyo Maru. When she returned to Pearl Harbor on November 29, she was assigned to training duties. She conducted training in Hawaii until June 1945 before shifting to New London to continue her training duties.
After World War II, the USS Seal was decommissioned on November 15, 1945. She was taken out of reserve to serve as a Naval Reserve Training Ship in Boston, Massachusetts on June 19, 1947. The submarine was then shifted to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to continue her service until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on May 1, 1956 and sold for scrap on May 6, 1957. She received 10 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
