USS Amber Jack SS 219
The USS Amber Jack SS 219 was a Gato-class submarine that was launched on March 6th, 1942 from the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut and was sponsored by a Mrs. Randall Jacobs. The sub was commissioned on June 19th, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander John A. Bole Jr. The Amberjack was actually the first ship to be given that particular name which is a sport fish found in the Atlantic Ocean found between New England and Brazil. After her initial training off the eastern seaboard of the U. S. she transited the Panama Canal and headed for Pearl Harbor arriving on August 20th, 1942. On September 3rd she set out on her first war patrol, coasting along the border of New Ireland and the Solomon Islands.
On September 18th she ran into a large Japanese escort convoy being protected by a destroyer and she fired four torpedoes at the vessels but scored no hits during that conflict. While patrolling the Strait of Bougainville the next day on the 19th, she another enemy freighter where she then fired two of her torpedoes the first of which hitting underneath the target, and the second breaking her keel in two and the Amberjack was credited with having sunk the enemy ship.
After many more skirmishes after that, she headed back to port at Brisbane, Australia on October 30th. On February 4th, the Amberjack reported having sunk a 5,000 ton enemy freighter full of explosives in a two hour night surface attack that properly date when five torpedoes were fired. After that night, the Amberjack was ordered to hunt for traffic while patrolling the waters of that area.
On her last radio transmission on February 14th, 1943 the USS Amberjack SS 219 radioed in that she had been forced down the night before by two destroyers and also that she had recovered from the water an enemy aviator on February 13th, she was ordered to head north and keep hunting for traffic. All further messages to the Amberjack remained unanswered after that point and by March 10th she had failed make her report to transmit when exactly she was planning to reach her home port on schedule. She most likely sank on February 16th when sub chasers dropped several depth chargers on her, according to documents later recovered. The Amberjack won three battle stars for her service in World War II.
The USS Amberjack SS 219 and her crew fought bravely, but the dangers didn’t only rest in the waters around her. The danger was in the form of asbestos, a toxic material that was commonly found on ships in products such as insulation and construction compounds. Products made from asbestos can break apart, and release tiny fibers into the air. These fibers are easily inhaled and can lead to diseases such as mesothelioma, which is a deadly cancer. Any crewmembers who served aboard the USS Amberjack SS 219 should receive a medical evaluation to examine if they have asbestos cancer.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
