USS Jack SS 259

The USS Jack SS 259 was a Gato-class submarine that was launched on October 16th, 1942 from the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut and was sponsored by a Mrs. Francis Seeley. The newly constructed ship was officially commissioned on January 6th, 1943 under the leadership of Commander T. M. “Tommy” Dykers. She finished intense shakedown operations along the eastern seaboard of the United States and headed south to transit the Panama Canal and move into the Pacific where she arrived at her final destination of Pearl Harbor on May 21st.

During the time from June of 1943 until August of 1945 the USS Jack SS 259 conducted a total of nine successful war patrols while serving in the Pacific. Following refitting and resupplying she found herself embarking on her first war patrol on June 5th, 1943 where she joined in the submarine offensive against Japan and while patrolling the waters around Honshu on June 26th, the Jack came across a Japanese convoy consisting of a group of about five enemy vessels, the Jack shot off two torpedoes and sank her intended targets immediately, and while preparing for her third attack she was driven to dive after a torpedo was dropped from an enemy aircraft in a retaliatory counterattack. She returned to Pearl Harbor on July 19th for repairs.

The Jack’s second patrol was a routine voyage and she experienced no enemy contacts, but her third patrol was far more dramatic. She departed Pearl Harbor on January 16th, 1944 and headed to towards the South China Sea and while cruising through the shipping lanes between Japan and Singapore she encountered five large oil tankers with three escorts, and on the morning of February 19th, she initiated engagement procedures and prepared for attack.

At about 04:40 she began firing her torpedoes at the massive enemy convoy group and throughout the day and after hours upon hours of battle maneuvers as well as more than a dozen torpedoes being fired, she was successfully credited with sinking four tankers totaling more than twenty thousand tons. She then headed back to her new base of operations at Fremantle, Australia where she arrived on March 13th, 1944. The USS Jack SS 259 was decommissioned on April 21st, 1958 and awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and seven battle stars for World War II service.

Many brave sailors served aboard the USS Jack SS 259. Unfortunately, the toxic substance asbestos also found a home on the submarine, within the pipes and insulation materials. Asbestos exposure has been proven to be the leading cause of mesothelioma, a deadly and rare form of asbestos cancer. The crewmen who sailed on the USS Jack SS 259 and the men who worked on her while she was docked were all subject to exposure. Any veteran crewmembers or repair personnel that may have come in contact these airborne asbestos fibers should closely monitor their respiratory health and consult their medical physician immediately to proceed with the appropriate steps towards possibly receiving treatment.

Last modified: December 09 2009.