USS Picuda SS 382
The USS Picuda SS 382 was a Balao-class submarine that was originally launched on July 12th, 1943 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. English. The newly constructed submarine was officially commissioned on October 16th, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Albert Raborn. Following her initial shakedown trials and training operations along the east coast of the U. S. she was finally ready to see some serious action so she headed south departing New London, Connecticut on January 1st, 1944 for the Caribbean Sea before being ordered to transit the Panama Canal and report to the Pacific Fleet.
She traveled through the Pacific Ocean and moved west until she reached her intended destination and her new home base of operations, Pearl Harbor. She arrived on January 27th and was immediately assigned to the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force as the newest appointed unit of the Submarine Division 201, Submarine Squadron 20. The USS Picuda SS 382 began her first war patrol on February 17th where she was ordered to the waters just off the Caroline Islands where she arrived on February 29th. In the area near Truk, she spotted, engaged and successfully sank a twenty six hundred seventy two ton enemy gunboat on March 2nd and then diving deep in order to avoid the counterattack that included fifteen depth charges being dropped over her.
On March 18th, the Picuda rapidly changed course so she could patrol the area along the Saipan and Palau shipping routes and that afternoon she sighted a large enemy tanker and opened fire scoring multiple hits or her intended target. She was forced to dive below the surface to avoid the aggressive and vengeful counterattack by two enemy destroyers while her target escaped obliteration and was later allowed to repair while being protected by her enemy escorts. The USS Picuda SS 382 was officially decommissioned on September 26th, 1946 and was then sold to Spain on November 18th, 1974 and struck from the United States Naval Vessel Registry on the same day. The USS Picuda SS 382 was awarded six battle stars for her brave and honorable service during World War II.
The many crewmen who served aboard the USS Picuda SS 382 should be proud, but they should also be aware that during their time on the submarine, they were at risk of exposure to asbestos. Before it was determined to be hazardous, asbestos was used in many products that could be found on submarines and in shipyards of all types, more accurately, the piping and ducts systems built during its original construction dealing with the insulation. The asbestos inside these materials is made up of particles and can be inhaled. Asbestos had been linked to the development of the respiratory disease mesothelioma. Veterans that served aboard the USS Picuda SS 382 should speak to their physicians about the possibility of exposure to asbestos so that they may be thoroughly examined and can begin receiving mesothelioma treatment.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
