USS Menhaden SS 377
<The USS Menhaden SS 377 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on December 20th, 1944 from the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. out of Manitowoc, Wisconsin and was sponsored by a Miss Mirium R. Johnson. The submarine was commissioned on June 22nd, 1945 under the leadership of Commander David H. McClintock. The USS Menhaden was manned by the veteran sailors of the USS Darter SS 227 which had been lost by running aground during the battle of Leyte Gulf the previous October. The Menhaden was one of the last official naval vessels to be commissioned for active service during World War II.
She underwent evaluation trials and final operational training in Lake Michigan and was soon decidedly declared as being ready for active service. The Menhaden was placed into a floating dry dock and towed down the Mississippi River south to New Orleans, Louisiana and placed into the open ocean for the first time. She departed the U. S. coast and headed for the Panama Canal Zone on July 27th where she conducted exercises and extensive training off Balboa, Panama during the final days of World War II.
During September she was assigned to Submarine Squadron 19 based out of Pearl Harbor conducting observational duty. She served in the Pacific based out of Pearl Harbor until January 2nd, 1946 when she was ordered to the West Coast where she arrived to San Francisco on January 8th and was ordered to undergo inactivation procedures at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. She was reinstated and assigned to the Pacific serving out of the East and South China Seas operating various training exercises until 1956.
The USS Menhaden SS 377 served in the Korean War and Vietnam where she provided support with reconnaissance and surveillance patrols as well as the direct conflicts of the Cold War. For the remainder of her military career the Menhaden served within Southeast Asia patrolling the waters off Vietnam in the hopes of controlling any further crisis. The USS Menhaden SS 377 was decommissioned on August 13th, 1971 and was used as a tethered submerged target and sunk off Keyport, Washington in 1976.
The crew of the USS Menhaden SS 377 took immense honor in the service they provided for their country. Unfortunately, the danger they faced was not limited to enemy fire. Indeed, the USS Menhaden SS 377, like many submarines of its era was laden with toxic materials and one of them was asbestos. Many had no idea of the harmful health consequences of asbestos exposures during this time and many were endangered because of this.
Asbestos was used in piping as well as in many insulation systems aboard most naval vessels of this time. It is important to be aware of the possible respiratory dangers that asbestos exposure can cause such as the development of the deadly cancer, mesothelioma. Anyone who believes that they may have been exposed to this hazardous material should visit with a physician and immediately evaluated to determine if mesothelioma treatment is needed.
Last modified: December 09 2009.
