USS Searaven (SS-196)
History of the USS Searaven Submarine
The USS Searaven (SS-196) was ordered for the U.S. Navy before World War II. Her keel was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire on August 9, 1938. She was launched on June 21, 1939 and commissioned on October 2, 1939 under the command of Lieutenant Thomas G. Reamy.
The USS Searaven spent her early career conducting training and maneuvers in the Philippines. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the submarine was at Cavite Navy Yard in Manila Bay. Her first two war patrols were spent running supplies to American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula and on Corregidor Island. She sank a Japanese destroyer on February 3, 1942.
On April 2, the USS Searaven sailed for her third war patrol in the Netherlands East Indies. Sixteen days later, she evacuated 32 members of the Royal Australian Air Force from Timor. A fire in her engine room five days later forced her to end her patrol early, and she put in at Fremantle on April 25.
After an uneventful fourth war patrol, the USS Searaven headed out for her fifth war patrol in the Netherlands East Indies. On October 11, her torpedoes damaged the German torpedoes blockade runner Regensburg. She sank the Japanese transport Nissei Maru on November 17. Her patrol ended seven days later at Fremantle.
The USS Searaven got underway for her sixth war patrol on December 18 off Palau. Her torpedoes damaged the Japanese transport Yubae Maru on January 9, 1943. Five days later, she sank the auxiliary submarine chased Ganjitsu Maru No. 1 and the transport Shiraha Maru. The submarine returned to Pearl Harbor on February 10 and was ordered on to Mare Island Navy Yard in California for overhaul.
Once her overhaul was complete, the USS Searaven set out for her seventh war patrol on June 6 in the Mariana Islands. She provided reconnaissance at Marcus Island but made no enemy surface contacts during this patrol. Her patrol ended on July 29 at Midway.
Her eighth war patrol commenced on August 23, and the USS Searaven headed off Honshu. She made no enemy surface contacts before putting in at Pearl Harbor on October 6.
On November 6, the USS Searaven sailed for her ninth war patrol of the Caroline Islands as a member of a small wolf pack. She sank the Japanese fleet tanker Toa Maru on November 25. This patrol ended on December 6 at Pearl Harbor.
The USS Searaven began her tenth war patrol in the Marshall Islands and the Marianas on January 17, 1944. After performing photographic reconnaissance of Eniwetok, she took up lifeguard duty and rescued three downed aviators. The submarine returned to Midway on March 3.
After refitting, the USS Searaven set sail for her eleventh war patrol on March 26 in the Bonin Islands. Her torpedoes sank the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Noshiro Maru No. 2, but she was not officially credited with the kill. When she put in at Pearl Harbor on May 9, she went in for a major overhaul.
Once her overhaul was completed, the USS Searaven departed Pearl Harbor for her twelfth war patrol in the Kuril Islands. On September 21, she sank the Japanese transport Rizan Maru. Four days later, her gunfire sank two trawlers and eight sampans. Her torpedoes damaged the destroyer Momi two days after that.
The USS Searaven got underway for her thirteenth and final war patrol on November 1 in the company of a small wolf pack. While prowling the South China Sea, she sank a Japanese transport and an oiler. When her patrol ended, the submarine was assigned to target and training duties.
After World War II ended, the USS Searaven was identified as one of the target ships for Operation Crossroads, the atomic testing at Bikini Atoll. She survived the tests with only minor damage and was decommissioned on December 11, 1946. The submarine was then sunk as a target off southern California on September 11, 1948 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on October 21, 1948. 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
