USS Porpoise SS 172
The USS Porpoise SS 172 was a Porpoise-class submarine that was originally launched on June 20th, 1935 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard out of Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Miss Eva Croft. The newly constructed submarine was officially commissioned on August 15th, 1935 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Stuart S. Murray. Following her shakedown cruise and initial basic training along the eastern seaboard of the United States, she headed south and transited the Panama Canal. She sailed into the Pacific Ocean and reached destination and new home port at San Diego Bay, California on September 1st, 1936.
The Porpoise participated with the Pacific Fleet running maneuver and fire support training and various anti-submarine exercises as well as torpedo practice along the west coast. She headed to Pearl Harbor for Fleet Exercises and on November 19th, 1939 she sailed to Manila joining the Asiatic Fleet until December of 1941. When the Japanese Imperial Fleet attacked the U. S. at Pearl Harbor, the Porpoise was right in the middle of a major overhaul and with all four engines and her battery being refitted, the work that was required was completed in record time and she set sail on December 20th heading to Manila.
She embarked on her first war patrol just two days later where she was ordered to move towards the Lingayan Gulf and the South China Sea off of French Indo-China. When passing through the area of Balikpapan, she had encountered the Dutch destroying their oil well stationed in the ocean. The Porpoise was able to attack two ships without hits before reaching Surabaya, Java ending her patrol. The second war patrol of the Porpoise brought her to the waters off of the Netherlands West Indies arriving on February 9th where scored hits on an enemy cargo ship before reporting at Fremantle, Australia for refueling and refitting.
Her third, fourth, fifth and sixth war patrols took her across the Pacific from the Island of Ju to the coast of Honshu, Japan and Taroa Island. She left Pearl Harbor and headed for the mainland and New London, Connecticut where she arrived in September of 1943 and served off the coast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the remainder of the war. The USS Porpoise SS 172 was decommissioned on November 15th, 1945 and received five battle stars for World War II.
The USS Porpoise SS 172 has seen many threats and her crewmembers served her well without being aware that they were facing danger from an unknown and destructive force. The USS Porpoise SS 172 was built during a time when asbestos was commonly used as an internal insulator of duct systems and piping. What we know now is that the crewmen who worked in contact with asbestos are at risk for a variety of respiratory problems including mesothelioma, a type of cancer. If you think you may have been exposed to asbestos aboard the USS Porpoise SS 172 you must consult a physician immediately and undergo respiratory testing.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
