USS Hawkbill SS 366
The USS Hawkbill SS 366 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on January 9th, 1944 from the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and was sponsored by a Mrs. F. W. Scanland, Jr. who was the wife of the first commander of the new submarine. The newly constructed vessel was officially commissioned on May 17th, 1944 under the command of Lieutenant Commander F. Worth Scanland, Jr. Following her shakedown trials in the Great Lakes, she headed down south via the Illinois River on June 1st, 1944 moving towards New Orleans, Louisiana arriving on June 10th. After being set out for the first time in the open ocean she drove west and transited the Panama Canal in order to reach her ultimate destination of Pearl Harbor where she arrived on July 28th, 1944 to begin final preparations before embarking on her first war patrol.
Departing on her first war patrol on August 23rd, 1944 where she was given orders to cruise past Siam and patrol her newly appointed route along the shores of the Philippine Islands. She departed Fremantle, Australia after being refueled and refitted on November 15th heading to the region just north of the Malay Barrier. On December 15th, she encountered an enemy convoy and immediately engaged in combat procedures. After slamming six torpedoes into her intended target and sank the Japanese vessel Momo, she sailed back to her home port of Fremantle arriving on January 5th, 1945.
Following the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Fleet, she sailed to Pearl Harbor and then onward to San Francisco where she docked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The USS Hawkbill SS 366 was officially decommissioned on September 30th, 1946 and was transferred to the Netherlands on loan as a part of the Military Assistance Program on April 21st, 1953 and later sold to the Royal Netherlands Navy. The USS Hawkbill SS 366 was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on February 20th, 1970. The Hawkbill was awarded six battle stars for her honorable service during World War II and she was also given the Navy Unit Commendation for her outstanding performance on war patrols one, three and four.
The USS Hawkbill SS 366 has been declared to be toxic, asbestos was used as a construction material in items commonly found on submarines. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, so the asbestos on board the USS Hawkbill SS 366 could have been inhaled by the members of her crew. Asbestos can easily cling to most surfaces, and then be released into the air later. This led to the possibility that any person on a submarine such as the Hawkbill could also have been exposed to this toxic material and these deadly asbestos fibers that were also utilized within the piping duct systems construction. Exposure to asbestos is very dangerous and can lead to potentially deadly diseases such as asbestos cancer. Any crewmembers who have been exposed to dangerous asbestos should seek medical attention and respiratory evaluation from their physician.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
