USS Sterlet SS 392
The USS Sterlet SS 392 was a Balao-class submarine that was launched on October 27th, 1943 from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard out of Kittery, Maine and was sponsored by a Mrs. Charles A. Plumley. The submarine was commissioned on March 4th, 1944 under the leadership of Commander O. C. Robbbins. Following her training off the east coast she was ordered to move south towards Key West, Florida and then west on May 1st transiting the Panama Canal system and setting sail out into the deep Pacific. She joined the U. S. Pacific Fleet at her new home port at Pearl Harbor arriving on June 13th and immediately began final preparations in order to begin her first war patrol.
She set out on July 4th, 1944 embarking on her first war patrol that took her to the waters surrounding the Bonin Island where she conducted search and destroy missions between the known enemy cargo shipping lanes. After 53 days at sea she had claimed to have sunk four enemy ships although there were no confirmed kills. She had in her custody a crashed Japanese pilot when she pulled into port at Midway on August 26th for refitting and refueling. After being serviced at Midway she set out three weeks later beginning her second war patrol on September 18th where she was ordered to the hostile enemy territory of Okinawa. The month of October brought her plenty of action and she was able to successfully sink a large enemy tanker as well as some smaller water craft.
She also provided lifeguard duty in support of aircraft carrier strikes against the Japanese home islands and during this she rescued crashed Allied pilots on October 9th. She returned to base at Pearl Harbor on November 30th. The Sterlet was serviced at Hawaii for about two months before setting out on her third war patrol on January 25th, 1945 where she was ordered to the waters off Honshu near Tokyo and assisted with lifeguard duty along with the Seventh Fleet. After the war ended she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet for the remainder of her naval career. The USS Sterlet SS 392 was decommissioned on September 30th, 1968 and sunk as a target on January 31st, 1969. She was awarded six battle stars for her service during World War II.
When the USS Sterlet SS 392 was built in 1943, the dangers of asbestos were not well known and it was used extensively as an insulator in the construction of the vessel. Crewmen were therefore exposed to a dangerous material without their knowledge. Asbestos is now known to increase the risk of mesothelioma and other respiratory problems in people who work near it. Asbestos fibers were often used internally within the insulation surrounding piping systems and various types of ducts constructed inside the submarine. Anyone who served aboard the USS Sterlet during that time period that may have been exposed to asbestos should see a respiratory physician for evaluation.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
