USS Robalo SS 273
The USS Robalo SS 273 was a Gato-class submarine that was originally launched on May 9th, 1943 from the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company out of Manitowoc, Wisconsin and was sponsored by a Mrs. E. S. Root. The newly built submarine was officially commissioned on September 28th, 1943 under the leadership of Commander Manning Kimmel who was the son of Admiral Kimmel. Following her initial shakedown cruise and operational trials within Lake Michigan she was finally ready for action and was placed into a floating dry dock and towed down the Mississippi River where she was let out into the open sea for the first time at New Orleans, Louisiana. She then transited the Panama Canal and moved out into the Pacific to the war zone.
The Robalo began her first war patrol sailing out in and around the waters of the Philippines Sea where she was ordered to search and destroy and enemy ships she came into contact with. On her second war patrol she found herself traveling to the deadly South China Sea near Indochina where she encountered and was able to heavily damage a seventy five hundred ton enemy tanker en route to the occupied islands. After refueling and refitting at Fremantle, Australia the Robalo set sail once again embarking on her third war patrol on June 22nd, 1944 where she headed back out to the South China Sea in order to conduct reconnaissance missions around the Natuna Islands. She traveled through the Makassar and Balabac Straits and was scheduled to arrive at her station on July 6th, 1944.
On July 2nd, a declassified contact report stated that the Robalo had sent a communiqué informing home base that she had encountered a Japanese battleship along with two destroyers for escort and air cover. The vessel was just east of Borneo at the time. The USS Robalo was never seen or heard from again, and was presumed lost at sea on July 26th, 1944. A document later discovered mentioned how the Robalo was most likely struck by a water mine off the Coast of Palawan Island. The USS Robalo SS 273 was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on September 16th, 1944. She was awarded two battle stars for service during World War II.
The USS Robalo SS 273 and her crew fought bravely in the face of endless challenges and grave danger, but unfortunately the dangers didn’t only rest in the waters around her. The danger was in the form of asbestos, a toxic material that was commonly found on submarines in products such as insulation and construction compounds. Products made from asbestos can break apart, and release tiny fibers into the air. These fibers are easily inhaled and can lead to diseases such as mesothelioma, which is a deadly cancer. Anyone who was aboard the USS Robalo or any submarine that had asbestos present should be examined by their physician for this and similar diseases immediately for their own health and to begin mesothelioma treatment if it’s needed.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
