USS Apogon SS 308
The USS Apogon SS 308 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on March 10th, 1943 from the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Mrs. Thomas Withers who was the wife of Admiral Withers. The sub was officially commissioned on July 16th, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Walter Paul Schoeni. She reached Pearl Harbor on October 11th and began an intense 3 week training regimen. The Apogon set out on her first war patrol on November 3rd and her patrol area entailed a sixty mile radius around the Moen Island as well as patrols between the shipping routes of Kwajalein and Truk. She was then ordered to join with a massive fleet grouping to participate and support in Operation Galvanic which was the seizure of the Gilbert Islands.
Her second and third patrols found her off the coast of the Mariana Island as well as patrolling the Japanese Home Island chain where enemy activity needed to be observed and recorded due to possible preparation of aggressive offensives by the Japanese Imperial Fleet. On July 12th, the Apogon and her “wolf pack” consorts spotted a nine-ship Japanese convoy with approximately six escorts and the Allied submarines began to prepare for an attack.
At that point, the lead ship of the Japanese convoy spotted the periscope of the Apogon and steamed directly for her in an attempt to ram the submarine. As the Apogon began to turn to initiate in evasive maneuvers, she was struck on her starboard side by the freighter and about eight feet of the periscope was torn off and her radar masts were bent and put out of commission. Submerging under the sea, the Apogon immediately headed back to port arriving at Midway on July 22nd for extensive repairs.
In January of 1946 the submarine sailed for Pearl Harbor where she was to be used as a target in the atomic bomb testing at Bikini Atoll where she was sunk during bomb test Baker on July 1st 1946. She was officially struck from the Naval Vessel Register on February 25th, 1947. The USS Apogon SS 308 received six battle stars for her World War II service.
The USS Apogon SS 308 and her crewmembers served with great honor, but unfortunately were exposed to a danger they were not aware of at the time of their service. Due to the fact that the Apogon was built at a time when people were unaware of the hazards that were apparent from asbestos, and it was used extensively in the construction of the vessel. This was particularly a fact of the insulation around piping systems and duct fixtures within the ship. The crew may have been put at serious risk of respiratory problems including a deadly form of asbestos cancer known as mesothelioma. Anyone who worked aboard the USS Apogon SS 308 should be aware that they might develop respiratory problems and difficulties with breathing and should consult a medical physician for mesothelioma treatment.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
