USS Spinax SS 489
The USS Spinax SS 489 was a Tench-class submarine that was originally launched on November 20th, 1945 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard out of Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Mrs. Tom C. Clark. The newly constructed submarine was officially commissioned on September 20th, 1946 under the leadership of Commander A. R. Faust. On November 15th she moved out from New London, Connecticut and was immediately assigned to the Submarine Force of the Atlantic Fleet. She sailed for the Caribbean Sea on December 15th to conduct her shakedown trial and operational training which lasted until January 28th, 1947.
During the month of January of 1948 the USS Spinax was newly designated as a radar picket submarine and was given the hull classification SSR from SS. She assisted in local operations along the east coast until November when participated in a fleet exercise which took her to the Arctic Circle. During the time from January 3rd until March 3rd of 1949 the Spinax was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea as the first postwar attack submarine unit of the Sixth Fleet. When she finally returned to the eastern seaboard of the United States at Norfolk she was quickly assigned to and joined up with the Submarine Squadron 6. One June 12th, the Spinax was ordered to the west coast.
She head south in order to transit the Panama Canal and move west out into the Pacific. She was based out of the San Francisco Naval Shipyard for a brief period where she received and put into overhaul status. From 1954 until 1959 the Spinax served within the Pacific setting sail to regional areas surrounding the Philippines, Hong Kong, Formosa and Japan. On May 3rd, 1960 she departed San Diego and the west coast for a tour of the western Pacific with the 7th Fleet. The USS Spinax SS 489 was officially decommissioned on October 11th, 1969 while anchored at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on the same day as well.
The USS Spinax SS 489 and her crewmembers who worked aboard the USS Spinax SS 489 served with great honor, but unfortunately were exposed to a danger they were not aware of at the time of their service. Due to the fact that the Spinax was built at a time when people were unaware of the hazards that were apparent from asbestos, and it was used extensively in the construction of the vessel. This was particularly a fact of the insulation around piping systems and duct fixtures within the submarine.
The crew may have been put at serious risk for a variety of respiratory problems including a deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma. Any veteran soldiers who worked aboard the USS Spinax SS 489 should be aware that they might develop respiratory problems and difficulties with breathing. Any veteran sailors or any Unites States soldiers that are concerned they may have been exposed to asbestos should consult a medical physician for mesothelioma testing.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
