USS Narwhal SS-167

USS Narwhal was a United States Navy submarine that was awarded a total of 15 Battle Stars for her service in World War II. As the lead ship in her class, she was 371 feet in length and carried a complement of 89 sailors. The USS Narwhal was considered a composite class propelled by a direct-drive diesel and diesel-electric equipment, consisting of two direct-drive 10-cylinder/4-cycle diesel engines, two 6-cylinder/4-cycle diesel engines driving electrical generators, two 120-cell batteries, two electric motors and two shafts. With such power, the USS Narwhal could dive to 300 feet, reach a speed of eight knots submerged and 14 knots surfaced, and endure 10 hours at five knots. She was armed with six 21-inch torpedo tubes and two 6-inch / 53 caliber deck guns.

A Name Change

When her keel was laid down in 1927, the USS Narwhal's original name was V-5 which was changed four years later to the USS Narwhal. In the interim, she was commissioned in 1930 and sailed on her maiden voyage to the West Indies before returning to the United States for additional training. After traveling from New England via the Panama Canal to San Diego, California, the USS Narwhal was reclassified with hull symbol SS-167. Regular maneuvers and fleet exercises off Hawaii followed in 1932, until she was ordered to patrol the West Coast and conduct standard operations. Two years later, the USS Narwhal received a directive to join with Submarine Division 12 and serve in the area stretching from Seattle, Washington to Pearl Harbor, which was her home for the next seven years.

Service During World War II

The USS Narwhal was moored at her base when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Minutes after the first explosion, her crew helped to destroy two torpedo planes. Sent first to Wake Island in February and then to the Ityukyu Islands, the USS Narwhal's first war patrol was significant for the damage she caused to Maju Maru and the sinking of Taki Maru. The USS Narwhal next defended Midway Atoll in June and in July sank two small freighters near the Kurile Islands. In August she downed Meiwa Maru and Bifitku Maru.

After an overhaul, she partnered with the 7th Infantry Scout Company to invade Attu Attlit Island. By the next year, the USS Narwhal was in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where she patrolled the western Aleutian Islands and unloaded rubber boats filled with Army forces, who successfully recaptured the targeted area. In July the USS Narwhal created a diversion through the bombardment of an air base on Matsuwa that allowed three sister ships to escape the Sea of Japan. In September, she sank Hokusho Maru before nine secret transport missions of Philippine guerrillas. In the fall the vessel brought ammunition and aided in Filipino civilian evacuee transports, and transferred Army operatives. In early December, the USS Narwhal sank Hinteno Maru before continuing her transport duties into the New Year.

In February she damaged river gunboat Karatsu, and in June she destroyed several enemy gasoline storage tanks before setting fires around a power house. These accomplishments were all completed while carrying innocent people, delivering much needed supplies, and dodging gunfire and depth charges. Later that year, she carried 31 liberated prisoners-of-war who were pulled from the waters after USS Paddle sank Japanese transports off Sindagan Point. In late September, the USS Narwhal's stern planes locked in a 20 degree angle while diving to evade a Japanese patrol plane. She quickly blew her main ballast to stop the steep dive and momentarily resurfaced, fortunately unnoticed again by the aircraft. On her fifteenth and last war patrol from Dutch New Guinea, the USS Narwhal delivered 11 tons of food to Tawi Tawi and narrowly missed being gunned by American Flying Boat PBY Catalina. (Once the plane recognized her, it signaled "Good Luck Narwhal.") In early 1945, the USS Narwhal sailed into the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she was decommissioned in April, struck from the Naval Vessel Register the following month, and sold for scrap in May. Her two six-inch guns can be seen in their permanent display in Groton, Connecticut, at the Naval Submarine Base.

USS Narwhal certainly deserved her many Battle Stars as dependable transport of evacuees, military personnel, food, supplies and ammunition surely saved countless lives. Fortunately she never incurred major damage or loss of life. Hopefully, her good fortune extended to all aspects of her structure, including any involving asbestos-contaminated materials. It was common practice for shipbuilders to add asbestos into the small and awkward spaces of submarines to provide extra protection against the threat of fire. However, if the sealant became damaged due to frequent depth explosion jarring, or even wear and tear by overhauls, tiny fibers may have circulated through the air system and been inhaled or swallowed by the crew. Since such materials can remain inside the body for decades, causing irritation that can lead to dangerous medical conditions, former sailors should see a doctor at the sign of any unusual physical symptoms. Asbestos.com offers a comprehensive packet with detailed information about asbestos-related illnesses, treatment and legal options. Click here to receive a complimentary packet to learn more about mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure.

Much Success and Many Goodwill Missions

Narwhal was moored at her base when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Minutes after the first explosion, her crew helped to destroy two torpedo planes. Sent first to Wake Island in February and then to the Ityukyu Islands, Narwhal's first war patrol was significant for the damage she caused to Maju Maru and the sinking of Taki Maru. Narwhal next defended Midway Atoll in June; in July, she sunk two small freighters near the Kurile Islands, and in August she downed Meiwa Maru and Bifitku Maru. After an overhaul, she partnered with the 7th Infantry Scout Company to invade Attu Attlit Island. By the next year, Narwhal was in Dutch Harbor Alaska, where she patrolled the western Aleutian Islands and debarked rubber boats filled with Army forces, who successfully recaptured the targeted area. July found the USS Narwhal creating a diversion through the bombarding of an air base on Matsuwa to allow three sister ships to escape the Sea of Japan. In September, she sank Hokusho Maru before nine secret transport missions of Philippine guerrillas. Fall brought ammunition and Filipino civilian evacuee transport, as well as the transferring of Army operatives. In early December, Narwhal sank Hinteno Maru before continuing her transport duties into the New Year. In February she damaged river gunboat Karatsu, and in June she destroyed several enemy gasoline storage tanks before setting fires around a power house. These accomplishments were all made while carrying innocent people, delivering much needed supplies, and dodging gunfire and depth charges. Later that year, she carried 31 liberated prisoners-of-war who were pulled from the waters after USS Paddle sank Japanese transports off Sindagan Point. In late September, Narwhal's stern planes locked in a 20 degree angle while diving to evade a Japanese patrol plane. She quickly blew her main ballast to stop the steep dive and momentarily resurfaced; luckily she was not noticed again by the aircraft. On her 15th and last war patrol from Dutch New Guinea, Narwhal delivered deliver 11 tons of food to Tawi Tawi and narrowly missed being gunned by American Flying Boat PBY Catalina. (Once the plane recognized her, it signaled "Good Luck Narwhal.") In early 1945, USS Narwhal sailed into the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she was decommissioned in April, struck from the Naval Vessel Register the following month, and sold for scrap in May. Her two six-inch guns can be seen in their permanent display in Groton, Connecticut, at the Naval Submarine Base.

USS Narwhal certainly deserved her many Battle Stars; her dependable transport of evacuees, military personnel, food, supplies and ammunition probably saved countless lives. Doing so in the face of enemy gunfire and near-misses proved how trained and skillful her sailors were. She was indeed fortunate that she never incurred major damage or loss of life. Hopefully, her good fortune extended to all aspects of her structure, including any asbestos sealant remaining intact. It was common practice for shipbuilders to add the retardant asbestos into the small and awkward spaces of submarines to provide extra protection against the threat of fire. However, if the sealant became damaged due to frequent depth explosion jarring, or even wear and tear by overhauls, tiny fibers may have circulated through the air system and been inhaled or swallowed by the crew. Since such materials can remain inside the body for decades, all the while causing irritation that can lead to dangerous medical conditions, former sailors should be alert for unusual physical symptoms. Since such indications may mean a serious disease or even malignancy, they should consult a doctor immediately and contact us for additional information.

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