USS Archer-Fish SS 311
The USS Archer-Fish SS 311 was a Balao-class submarine that was originally launched on May 28th, 1943 from the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Miss Malvina C. Thompson who was the personal secretary to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The sub was officially commissioned on September 4th, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander George W. Kehl. The Archer-fish underwent massive training operations off the coast of New England in early November and when her initial shakedown was complete, she embarked for Pearl Harbor arriving on November 29th, 1943 where she joined the Pacific Fleet.
On December 23rd she set out on her first war patrol where she attacked three ships during her patrol but scored no kills during that particular voyage. On March 16th, 1944 she set out on her second patrol but didn’t encounter one Japanese vessel in her entire forty-two days at sea. During her fifth patrol, the Archer-Fish accomplished a feat that no other submarine has ever done. In the evening of November 28th, 1944 the Archer-Fish witnessed what looked like a large tanker leaving Tokyo Bay but it was later discovered to actually be a gigantic aircraft carrier screened by three escorts. The commander of the Archer-Fish realized it would be suicidal to attempt a surface attack and ordered that the carrier be tracked ahead.
After six hours, the enemy aircraft carrier turned around and headed right into the path of the Archer-Fish and the Archer-Fish got into position where she could proceed with an attack dive. The American submarine fired six torpedoes and even as the Archer-Fish began to descend to avoid depth charge attack, the commander of the sub could see that he had hit the Japanese aircraft carrier so successfully that it was inevitable that it would sink. The commander had deliberately set the torpedoes to run in shallow water of about 10 ft. and intended to cap-size the massive enemy ship. The Archer-Fish was given a credit for sinking the 72,000 ton Japanese Imperial Navy’s super carrier. To this day, it is the largest ship ever to be caught and sunk by any submarine. The USS Archer-Fish was finally decommissioned and struck from the record on May 1st, 1968 and she was awarded seven battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for her service in World War II.
The USS Archer-Fish SS 311 and her crewmembers fought bravely, but they were in constant danger. The Archer-Fish was built during a time when the dangers of exposure to asbestos were not understood. Asbestos was used widely for insulation around the pipe systems aboard the Archer-Fish and other ships of that era. Veterans who were exposed to asbestos are now vulnerable to respiratory diseases including mesothelioma, a deadly type of cancer. Any crewmembers that think they may have inhaled or been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers must carefully monitor their respiratory health and should visit a medical physician immediately for consultation and evaluation for possible treatment for mesothelioma.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
