USS Trumpetfish SS 425
The USS Trumpetfish SS 425 was a Balao-class submarine that was originally launched on May 13th, 1945 from the Cramp Shipbuilding Co. out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was sponsored by a Mrs. Oswald C. Colclough. The newly built submarine was officially commissioned on January 23rd, 1946 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Raphael C. Benitez. Since World War II had thankfully ended the Trumpetfish’s primary role was to keep the peace in the world and maintain order the best she and her crew could. Her initial shakedown trials were combined with a goodwill cruise that carried her along the Caribbean Sea and the many international ports. In 1946 the submarine transited the Panama Canal crossing over from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean where she then headed west sailing for Pearl Harbor.
Her operations that took place within the waters off Hawaii were highlighted with the task she took in the intentional torpedoing of the captured massive Japanese I-400 class submarine that had been commandeered at the end of World War II. Following operations in Hawaii the Trumpetfish the head back to the U. S. mainland when she ordered to conduct local operations off New London, Connecticut. In latter part of 1946 the submarine then served at Annapolis assisting with Navy training for the United States Naval Academy and their midshipmen. During the summer of 1947 the Trumpetfish entered port to begin mechanical conversion into a new class of submarine called the GUPPY under the terms of the Greater Underwater Propulsive Power Program.
After her alterations were finally completed she was assigned to the Submarine Squadron 4 and was based out of Key West, Florida where she and her new group conducted local operations and training exercises along the East Coast. In September of 1953 she assisted NATO forces in the Mediterranean Sea along with the Sixth Fleet. For the remainder of her naval career she operated off the east coast and along the shores and coasts of North, Central and South America bouncing between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea conducting various operations and peace keeping missions. The USS Trumpetfish SS 425 was finally decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Registry in Charleston, South Carolina on October 15th, 1973 and transferred and sold to the government of Brazil on the same day joining the Brazilian Navy.
Many brave sailors served aboard the USS Trumpetfish SS 425. Unfortunately, the toxic substance asbestos also found a home on the submarine, within the pipes and insulation materials. Asbestos exposure has been proven to be the leading cause of mesothelioma, a deadly and rare form of cancer. The crewmen who sailed on the USS Trumpetfish SS 425 and the crewmembers who worked on her while she was docked were all subject to exposure. Any veteran crewmembers or repair personnel that may have come in contact these airborne asbestos fibers should closely monitor their respiratory health and consult their medical physician.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
