USS Atule SS 403
The USS Atule SS 403 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on March 6th, 1944 from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Miss Elizabeth Louis Kauffman who was the daughter of Rear Admiral James L. Kaufman. The sub was officially commissioned on June 21st, 1944 with Commander John H. Maurer at the helm. Following operational training and exercises off the coast of New London, Connecticut the new submarine embarked on her first voyage to the Pacific to join the U. S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
On October 9th, 1944 she departed Pearl Harbor and headed out on her first ever war patrol where on October 25th she encountered the Japanese light cruiser Tama which was badly damaged and retreating from the Battle of Cape Engano and was part of the broken Japanese carrier fleet that had been retiring from the north. The Atule centered herself and prepared for action, and sent torpedoes striking the Tama sending her to the bottom of the ocean. For the next few days, the submarine searched the surrounding waters hunting for similarly retreating vessels from the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The submarine then continued her was patrol heading to the South China Sea and along the Luzon Strait sectors.
On the afternoon of January 24th, 1945, she picked up an anomaly on her radar screens and proceeded to investigate. She had picked up and tracked a Japanese merchant ship and commenced with attack procedures to blow the enemy ship out of the water, and she did just that. She fired four torpedoes, two of which successfully hit their mark. Even as the crew of the enemy vessel abandoned ship, the seven thousand ton Japanese cargo ship began to capsize and sink. The USS Atule SS 403 was officially decommissioned on April 6th, 1970 and was awarded four battle stars for her service in World War II. She was then sold to Peru where she was given the new classification BAP Pacocha SS 48 and was inducted into the Peruvian Navy. On August 26th, 1988 she was accidentally rammed by a fishing trawler and sunk.
While the crewmen aboard the USS Atule SS 403 were so very confident in their submarine, unfortunately they may have been endangered by a hazard onboard their own vessel that very few could recognize at the time. Asbestos was used in nearly all areas of submarine construction. The George Washington was no different. Asbestos was everywhere, particularly in insulation components and pipes or ducts within the submarine. Those who worked in or around these areas, either in a submarine crew or submarine repair areas should be extremely careful of a possible exposure to asbestos material, which has been linked to a deadly asbestos cancer known as mesothelioma as well as other respiratory diseases. Anyone who believes they may have come into contact with any of these substances should visit a medical physician for an immediate respiratory evaluation and possible stems to begin treatment for mesothelioma.
Last modified: December 09 2009.
