USS Parche SS 384
The USS Parche SS 384 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on July 24th, 1943 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Miss Betty Russell who was the daughter of United States District Judge Robert Lee Russell who was formerly the Judge Advocate General for the Navy. The newly constructed submarine was officially commissioned on November 20th, 1943 under the leadership of Commander Lawson P. Ramage.
The Parche was immediately appointed to her new home base of Pearl Harbor in the Pacific. She departed from her newly assigned home port on March 29th, 1944 embarking on her first war patrol and stopped first at Midway Island where she refueled and prepared for the open ocean, she then reach her intended destination of southern Formosa on April 16th. On April 29th, there was a sighting and then a valid report of a large enemy convoy force heading in her direction and about 50 miles away from their coordinates, and she followed proper engagement procedures and prepared to attack. The USS Parche SS 384 successfully sank one enemy ship.
There was another report on the morning of May 3rd, this time of a larger seven ship enemy convoy and the Parche immediately drove directly north to meet the enemy forces head on. She got into position and waited, and at around midnight the enemy showed up and the Parche opened fire sinking two ships with perfect accuracy. She returned to Midway on May 23rd, 1944 after making further reconnaissance of all the military installations on the island of Ishi Gaki Jima.
Following the end of World War II, the USS Parche continued her service and was assigned to assist in Operation Crossroads and served as a target for the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. The Parche was able to survive both the above ground airburst test as well as the underwater nuclear bomb test coming out of the operations relatively undamaged. The USS Parche SS 384 was officially decommissioned on December 11th, 1946 and struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on November 8th, 1969. She was then sold for scrap on June 18th, 1970. The USS Parche SS 384 was one of the most highly decorated submarines ever to serve and was awarded five battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations for her service during World War II.
The USS Parche SS 384 and her crew fought brave in their fight for their countries freedoms, but they were in danger even aboard their safe submarine, unknowingly. Asbestos fibers were used to build the submarine, mainly within the submarine’s insulation dealing with piping. While at one time asbestos was a commonly used building material, it’s been discovered to be toxic since then. Exposure to asbestos can lead to diseases such as mesothelioma, a form of cancer. For this reason anyone who has been exposed to any materials made from asbestos should seek medical counsel right away and take the proper steps to receive treatment if advised by your doctor.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
