USS Medregal SS 480
The USS Medregal SS 480 was a Tench-class submarine that was launched on December 15th, 1944 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipbuilding. out of Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Mrs. A. H. Taylor. The newly built submarine was officially commissioned on April 14th, 1945 under the leadership of Commander William M. Wright. IN April of 1945 the USS Medregal set sail heading south towards the Caribbean Sea when she suffered a submerged collision with a destroyer escort off the northern coast of Panama. Her periscope shears and radar were severely damaged and she was ordered back north to the eastern seaboard of the United Stated at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for major repairs.
While the Medregal was anchored at port Germany surrendered and the threat from Europe was no longer a concern for the U. S. Following her extreme repairs as well as additional air and sea rescue modifications that she had acquired while stationed at Portsmouth, she was ready to join the war effort in the Pacific fighting with the Allies against the Japanese Imperial Fleet. She departed from the east coast on June 16th, 1945 heading south in order to transit the Panama Canal and move west for Pearl Harbor and to join the Pacific Fleet. During her long Pacific voyage however the Japanese formally surrendered and World War II was finally over. The USS Medregal SS 480 was ordered back to the Panama Canal Zone and then on to Key West, Florida where she was to be appointed to the Submarine Squadron 4.
From 1945 until 1957 she was stationed out of Key West and conducted countless operations with the Fleet Sonar School there as well as assisting with antisubmarine warfare exercises and experimental training. During 1957 until 1959 she was assigned to Submarine Squadron 6 and participated with intermittent missile-evaluation projects off the U. S. Virgin Islands and the waters off Puerto Rico. From 1959 until 1966 she traveled throughout the Pacific along with the Seventh Fleet and took part in various Reserve Training operations from Japan and the Philippines to Australia and Hawaii as well as conducting numerous peace-keeping missions in the region. The USS Medregal SS 480 was finally decommissioned on August 1st, 1970 and struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on the same day.
The USS Medregal SS 480 and her crew experienced the hazards of asbestos that were not well known at that time. Asbestos was used as an insulator in the construction of the vessel, specifically within the internal piping of the submarine. Airborne asbestos fibers are extremely harmful if inhaled and the crewmembers were therefore exposed to these dangerous materials without their knowledge. Asbestos is linked to the increased risk of a rare form of asbestos cancer known as mesothelioma as well as other respiratory problems in the people who work near it. Crewmembers of the USS Medregal who have been exposed to asbestos while serving aboard should visit a respiratory doctor for thorough evaluation and medical treatment.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
