USS Plunger SS 179
The USS Plunger SS 179 was a Porpoise-class submarine that was launched on July 8th, 1936 from the Portsmouth Naval Yard in Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Miss Edith E. Greenlee. The newly constructed submarine was commissioned on November 19th, 1936 under the command of Lieutenant Commander George L. Russell. Following her shakedown trials and operational training off the eastern seaboard of New York, she then headed south on April 13th, 1937 to Caribbean Sea in order to transit the Panama Canal moving towards the west coast and mainly San Diego, California where she joined the Submarine Division 14 in November as the newest assigned member of the Submarine Squadron 6.
The Plunger remained stationed there at San Diego for the next few years where she conducted countless operations with her submarine squads. On March 15th, 1938 she moved up north to Dutch Harbor, Alaska with five of her Porpoise-class submarine comrades and she then began numerous exercises within the Central Pacific between Panama and Hawaii for the next several years. That is until November 30th, 1941 when she was ordered to report to Pearl Harbor which would become her new home base of operations in the Pacific. She was in the waters just off Diamond Head when the Japanese made their deadly attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.
The USS Plunger SS 179 set out on her first war patrol less than a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor where she sailed as a part of the United States Navy’s first offensive operation of World War II. Her second patrol lasted from June 5th to July 15th and brought her traveling through the waters just off Shanghai where she was able to cause immense damage to the Japanese Imperial Fleet. On June 30th and again on July 2nd she was able to take down two large enemy convoy ships. She finally returned to Midway terminating her patrol on June 15th.
From October of 1942 until the Japanese surrendered on August 15th, 1945 the Plunger had her hands full and proved invaluable to the Navy while conducting numerous dangerous patrols in enemy waters throughout the Pacific. The USS Plunger SS 179 was decommissioned on November 15th, 1945. She received fourteen battle stars for service during World War II.
During her time with the US Navy, the USS Plunger SS 179 carried out seemingly endless missions across the seas. She also carried structural items that were made with asbestos. Asbestos is a dangerous material that can lead to respiratory diseases, most notably the asbestos cancer known as mesothelioma. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, so it can be easily inhaled where it can cause great harm and even death. The passengers and crew who spent time on the USS Plunger were put at risk of exposure to this toxic material. Any veteran sailor of the USS Plunger SS 179 that is concerned should get evaluated by your physician for the possibility of an asbestos-related illness.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
