USS Loggerhead SS 374
The USS Loggerhead SS 374 was a Balao-class submarine that was originally launched on August 13th, 1944 from the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and was sponsored by a Mrs. Barbara Fox. The newly built submarine was officially commissioned on February 9th, 1945 under the leadership on Commander Ralph N. Metcalf. Directly following her shakedown trials off the coast of Chicago in the Great Lakes she was placed into dry dock towing and brought down south along the Mississippi river on March 1st, 1945. She then arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana on March 7th and after being brought out into the open ocean she then transited the Panama Canal five days later and sailed west onward through the Pacific Ocean and arriving at her final destination of Pearl Harbor on April 8th, 1945.
The USS Loggerhead SS 374 began her first war patrol on May 15th, 1945 where she departed Hawaii and carried out her orders to head to the Luzon Straits and the South China Sea via Saipan to conduct reconnaissance. She was well underway traveling along the east coast of Hainan Island when she sighted an enemy hospital ship on June 11th and allowed it to pass unharmed. There in the same region three days later, she received intelligence and was ordered to bombard a suspected radar installation south of Hong Kong at Gap Rock where she was able to cause severe damage.
The Loggerhead headed for Subic Bay, Philippine Islands to stop briefly for refueling before heading to Hong Kong to provide lifeguard duty and support for aircraft carrier air strikes taking place in the area. On July 13th she encountered enemy ships and fired her torpedoes without witnessing any confirmed kills on record. She drove towards Australia on the next day where she transited the Lombok Straits between Bali and Lombok Island on July 14th.
While the Loggerhead was traveling between this area, enemy shore battery guns surprised her and opened fire. She quickly initiated evasive maneuvers and was able to escape the onslaught undamaged arriving at Fremantle, Australia on July 19th. Two days after leaving Fremantle, Australia embarking on her second war patrol and sailing towards the Gulf of Siam on August 15th, the war had ended. The USS Loggerhead SS 374 was officially decommissioned on June 16th, 1946.
The USS Loggerhead SS 374 and her crew were honorable and brave throughout conflicts, but asbestos was used frequently for the insulation of piping systems and internal constructions. Therefore, it could be found nearly anywhere in submarine constructions, particularly in naval vessels. Those who have worked around asbestos materials aboard naval submarines have been exposed to asbestos and suffered the respiratory consequences of exposure. If you have worked aboard the USS Loggerhead SS 374 and think you may have been exposed to asbestos, it is important you tell your physician about this. Respiratory complications, including the mesothelioma, a rare but very serious form of asbestos cancer, have been conclusively and directly linked to asbestos exposures.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
