USS Plaice SS 390
The USS Plaice SS 390 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on November 15th, 1943 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Miss Eleanor Fazzi. The newly built naval vessel was officially commissioned on February 12th, 1944 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Clyde B. Stevens.
Following her initial shakedown trials off the east coast, she then sailed south passing Key West, Florida and moving west to transit the Panama Canal doing so on April 15th. She then headed out into the deep Pacific Ocean and towards her final destination and new home base of operations, Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on May 13th.
The Plaice departed on her first war patrol on June 3rd where she was ordered to the waters off of the Bonin Islands. On June 30th she was able to sink a nine hundred eighty six ton gunboat and on July 18th she sank a three hundred ton submarine chaser. She returned to Midway Island directly after that battle and terminated her first patrol.
During the time from August 17th, 1944 until August 15th, 1945 she conducted a second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth war patrol throughout the areas between the Luzon Straits and the Formosa waters all the way to the South and East China Seas. On August 15th, the Japanese accepted the Potsdam Ultimatum and nine days after that the Plaice pulled into Midway.
After the war had ended the USS Plaice operated mainly out of the Central Pacific until she was ordered to report to Mare Island, California where she was to be place out of commission and was deactivated in November of 1947. On May 18th, 1963 she was reactivated in preparation for her transfer to Brazil as a part of the Military Assistance Program and was decommissioned for the last time on September 7th, 1963 and transferred and commissioned to the Brazilian Navy. The USS Plaice SS 390 was awarded six battle stars for World War II service.
The crew of the USS Plaice SS 390 took immense honor in the help they could provide to their fellow soldiers during service. The danger they faced was not limited to enemy fire and the USS Plaice SS 390 was like many submarines of its era were constructed 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 many insulation systems aboard most naval vessels of this time. If any veteran crewmembers worked around these materials, 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. If any veteran who served aboard the USS Plaice is feeling the effects of possible respiratory illness they are encouraged to visit with their physician.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
