USS Nautilus SS 168
The USS Nautilus SS 168 was a Narwhal-class submarine that was launched on March 15th, 1930 from the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California and was sponsored by a Miss Joan Keesling. The submarine was commissioned on July 1st, 1930 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Doyle, Jr. Following her initial shakedown training, she proceeded to San Diego where she was officially stationed from 1935 until 1938 as a part of the Submarine Division 13. She was then ordered to the deep Pacific and to report to her new home base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where she trained and routinely ran exercises along with the Pacific Fleet for the remainder of the decade until 1941.
On May 24th, 1942 the USS Nautilus SS 168 began her first war patrol where she was ordered to head to Midway Island to assist in repelling the expected attack from the Japanese Fleet. In the early morning on June 4th, the Japanese attacked. The Nautilus was one of the first to see them coming on the horizon, and she dove to one hundred feet to begin preparations for battle. A large Japanese force was sighted including an enemy battleship, a cruiser and two destroyers. The Nautilus surfaced to evaluate the situation and before she knew it the bombs began to fall all around her the moment she was simultaneously sighted. She dove under the sea to avoid damage and then rose again only to find that the enemy had begun to close in on her position, and after hours of a cat and mouse battle there were no casualties from both sides and the Japanese ships had disappeared.
During the time from August 8th, 1942 until January of 1945 the USS Nautilus SS 168 had conducted fourteen war patrols throughout the Pacific Ocean. This included her support during the raid on the Solomon Islands, her participation with the Marshall Islands Campaign, as well as the invaluable assistance she offered for the regions surrounding the Mariana, Gilbert and Philippine Islands. The USS Nautilus SS 168 was officially decommissioned on June 30th, 1945 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on July 25th, 1945. The Nautilus was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her aggressive and successful war patrols within enemy controlled waters throughout the war. She received fourteen battle stars for her brave service during World War II.
The USS Nautilus SS 168 and her crew faced many dangers during their service, but unfortunately the sailors faced a danger they were unaware of at the time. Their submarine had been constructed with asbestos used as an insulator around many of its pipes and installations. We now know that workers exposed to asbestos are at risk for the development of lung and breathing problems including a type of asbestos cancer called mesothelioma. Veterans who have reason to believe they may have come in contact with asbestos while aboard the Nautilus or other submarine built prior to asbestos usage laws should see a physician for an evaluation.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
