USS Pickerel SS 177
The USS Pickerel SS 177 was a Porpoise-class submarine that was launched on July 7th, 1936 from the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut and was sponsored by a Miss Evelyn Standley. The newly constructed submarine was officially commissioned on January 26th, 1937 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Leon J. Huffman. Following her shakedown trials and operational training off the eastern seaboard of the United States, she was finally ready for action. She sailed south in order to transit the Panama Canal and the headed along the west coast where she joined the Pacific Fleet and operated out of San Diego, California for a time until she was ordered to head out to the Hawaiian waters and was then appointed to the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines and reported for duty as she prepped for the possibility of war.
When it suddenly became known to the world of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 the Pickerel immediately set sail for the coast of Indo China and conducted her first war patrol off of Cam Ranh Bay and Tourane Harbor. She encountered a few enemy vessels that were just out of range in the region, but made no actual conflicting contacts and returned to Manila Bay on December 29th. Her second war patrol lasted from December 31st until January 29th, 1942 where she operated between Manila Bay and Surabaya where she was able to sink an enemy gunboat weighing twenty nine hundred twenty nine tons.
During her third patrol from February 7th until March 19th she traveled along the Malay Barrier and her fourth war patrol from April 15th to June 6th in the Philippines where she scored no enemy hits or even made contact with anything. Her fifth and sixth war patrols were more successful and she was able to attack and sink many enemy targets in the regions surrounding the Marianas and Kurile Islands. She departed Pearl Harbor on March 18th, 1943 and after refueling at Midway on the 22nd, she headed out towards northern Honshu. She was never seen or heard from again. She was later presumed lost at sea. The USS Pickerel was awarded three battle stars for her World War II service.
When the USS Pickerel SS 177 was built in 1936, the dangers of asbestos were not well known and it was used extensively as an insulator in the construction of the vessel. Crewmen were therefore exposed to a dangerous material without their knowledge. Asbestos is now known to increase the risk of mesothelioma and other respiratory problems in people who work near it. Asbestos fibers were often used internally within the insulation surrounding piping systems and various types of ducts constructed inside the submarine. Any crewmembers who served aboard the USS Pickerel SS 177 during that time period who may have been exposed to asbestos while aboard the Pickerel or in another similar submarine should see a respiratory physician for evaluation immediately.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
