USS Sabalo SS 302
The USS Sabalo SS 302 was a Balao-class submarine that was originally launched on June 4th, 1944 from the Cramp Shipbuilding Company out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was sponsored by Mrs. Charles M. Oman. The newly built submarine was officially commissioned on June 15th, 1945 under the command of Lieutenant Commander James Gold Andrews. Following operational training and her initial shakedown trials along the east coast and within the Delaware River she was decidedly declared as being finally ready for active service and was prepped and readied for the open ocean.
Since she was finally commissioned at the end of the war she remained along the eastern seaboard of the United States operating locally out of the U. S. Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut until June of 1946 when she began preparations for inactivation. She was then decommissioned on August 7th, 1946 while in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was placed in reserve status as the newest unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She remained there until she was placed back into service and re-commissioned on June 1st, 1951 at New London, Connecticut.
During August of 1951 the Sabalo was ordered to head south to transit the Panama Canal and set sail moving west out into the open Pacific where she would arrive at her new home base port at Pearl Harbor the following month in September. She conducted various local operations here in Hawaii until February of 1952. From February 18th until September 28th she underwent a massive conversion and modernization overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard where she was converted mechanically into the newest type of submarine unit known as the GUPPY.
After this conversion was finally completed she sailed throughout the water between the west coast and the Pacific islands participating in warfare exercises and simulations as well as countless fleet maneuvers. In 1955 she conducted observational and scientific patrols along the shore of Alaska and within the outskirts of the Bering Strait. During September of 1966 she reported back to the west coast where she called San Diego her home for the remainder of her naval career. The USS Sabalo SS 302 was decommissioned for the last time on July 1st, 1971 and sunk as a simulated target on February 21st, 1973 off San Diego, California.
The USS Sabalo SS 302 and her crew fought bravely, but what her crews didn’t know is that the submarines and ships in their proud fleet had materials made from asbestos on board. Because asbestos is a highly toxic and deadly material, this put the crewmembers as well as anyone who came into contact with it in grave danger. Any exposure to asbestos has proven t0 lead to the development of the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma and other respiratory disease. Any veteran crewmember who served aboard a naval submarine such as the USS Sabalo SS 302 should monitor their health closely and have their physician thoroughly evaluate them.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
