USS Cabezon SS-334

The USS Cabezon SS-334 was built by the Electric Boat Company out of Groton, Connecticut. Her name comes from a fish found in the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The word is a Spanish term meaning 'big head.' She launched on August 27, 1944 and was commissioned into the United States Navy December 30, 1944.

The USS Cabezon was a Balao-class submarine. The vessel was 311 feet, nine inches long and 27 feet, three inches wide. Her displacement equaled 1,526 tons when floating on the surface and 2,424 tons when submerged. One of the significant improvements of the Balao-class submarines over the previous Gato-class submarine was a higher yield steel used in the hull, which allowed the sub to dive down to 400 feet without risking collapse.

The propulsion systems were similar in both classes. The Cabezon had four V16 diesel engines that were built by General Motors. They did not power the propellers directly, but instead ran electrical generators. These generators then powered four high speed electric motors, made by General Electric, which turned the propellers. There were also two 126 cell Sargo batteries that could be charged to allow the sub to run silently when they needed to avoid enemy detection. This propulsion system allowed her to reach speed of up to 20.25 knots on the surface and 8.75 knots under the water.

The vessel was able to carry up to 24 torpedoes. Theses could be fired from any of ten 21 inch tubes, six of which were in the front and the other four were in the back. She also possessed one five inch 25 caliber gun and four machine guns on her deck that would allow her to fire upon enemies from the surface. She was manned by ten officers and 70 to 71 enlisted sailors.

Once the submarine completed shakedown maneuvers, the USS Cabezon headed to Florida. Reaching Key West in February 1945, she offered her services to the Fleet Sound School as a training vessel. She spent three weeks in the area performing training missions. Once complete, the vessel headed to Pearl Harbor, passing through the Panama Canal. She arrived in Hawaii on March 15 and, shortly after headed out for her first and only war patrol.

From May 25 to July 11, 1945, the assigned area for the submarine's patrol was in the Sea of Okhotsk. Her only recorded sighting of the enemy took place on June 19. She sank a 2,631 ton Japanese cargo ship. Once her war patrol was complete, she departed for Midway to undergo a refit. On August 4, she headed for Saipan where she was used as a target vessel for training surface vessels. From there, she was assigned Subic Bay in the Philippines as her home base and remained there, performing training and local operations, until January 12, 1946.

The USS Cabezon returned to the United States on February 6, 1946 and operated out of San Diego, California. She was reassigned to Pearl Harbor and arrived there in November. While operating out of Pearl Harbor, she participated in training cruises and local operations. Her cruises took her to the South Pacific, the North Pacific and across the Arctic Circle. She also performed two cruises to the Far East, one in 1950 and the other in 1952.

The submarine was deactivated and placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet on October 24, 1953. She was struck from the Naval Register on May 15, 1970 and sold for scrapping on December 28, 1971. She earned one Battle Star for her successful war patrol during World War II.

Asbestos Concerns

From the 1930s until the mid 1970s, asbestos was used extensively in ships and submarines built for the United States Navy. The mineral was cheap and easy to use. Asbestos is naturally flame and heat resistant, doesn't conduct electricity and dampens sound. When the vessels were built, asbestos was often used to wrap pipes and sometimes stuffed into the actual walls of the ships. There were also many other items that had asbestos added to them during their manufacturing. Clutches, brakes and gaskets all contained the mineral. When asbestos is disturbed, especially after it has aged, it releases a white powder or dust which can be inhaled or ingested into the body.

Most of the ships and subs had very poor ventilation on board. When the dust was freed from the main mass, it had a tendency to remain airborne. Often it was sucked into the air circulation equipment and transferred to the rest of the vessel. The dust contains millions of microscopic fibers that are very dangerous to humans, especially in high concentrations. The fibers enter the body, either by being inhaled or swallowed, and begin to damage any tissues they come into contact with. It can take up to 50 years for the damage to become apparent. This is why there is still some concern about the sailors who served aboard military vessels. Many veterans are just now beginning to show signs of the two primary asbestos-related diseases, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Click here to receive an complimentary packet about mesothelioma, containing information about treatment and legal options and top doctors nationwide.

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