USS Permit SS-178

The USS Permit was a United States Navy Porpoise-class submarine who received 10 Battle Stars for her service during World War II. She carried a complement of 54 sailors and armament that was comprised of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 16 torpedoes, one three-inch 50-caliber deck gun, and four machine guns. Diving to a depth of 250 feet, Permit could reach a submerged speed of nine knots per hour (enduring 36 hours) and 19 knots per hour on the surface. Her propulsion consisted of four V16 diesel engines, two 120-cell batteries, eight high-speed electric motors, and two shafts.

Thorough Preparation

In 1935, after Permit's keel was laid by the Electric Boat Company, she waited two years before being commissioned. Following shakedown, Permit's new base was at Portsmouth, New Hampshire for fitting out and shakedown trials, until her maiden voyage late that year. After Permit sailed through the Panama Canal, she joined Submarine Squadron 6 on the west coast. From there, she embarked on a task that took her through the Eastern Pacific. During most of the next two years, Permit sailed between California to the Aleutian and Hawaiian Islands, but by 1939, she was ordered into the Asiatic Fleet. Her missions took her into the waters around the Philippine islands for the next two years, during which time her crew trained and took part in military maneuvers and exercises.

Hits and Strikes

As soon as the war broke out, she sped to the west coast of Luzon, where she patrolled and conducted transport duties for Navy personnel. In March of 1942, Permit rendezvoused off Corregidor with United States aircraft carrier forces to deliver 40 sailors before sailing to Australia for repairs from enemy ammunition. By June, she found herself near Celebes Island, in the enemy shipping route stretching towards Borneo and Pearl Harbor, for various jobs, before requiring an overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard. Permit was not ready to sail again until the following February, when a call to duty directed her to Honshū, Japan, where, within a month, she attacked a nine-ship convoy which was traveling with two escorts. This skirmish sank the 2742-ton cargo ship Hisashima Maru. USS Permit was then ordered to Truk Atoll in the Caroline Islands before joining with USS Lapon and USS Plunger to initiate the first wartime penetration into the Sea of Japan. Their objective was to attack the vessels which were delivering raw materials from Manchuria and Korea. However, Permit was able to sink the Banshu Maru, as well as the cargo ship Showa Maru, while still performing her other tasks. Her next journey was to Pearl Harbor via Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where she embarked on photographic reconnaissance of the Marshall Islands in August. In September, off Kwajalein, Permit attacked and damaged several Japanese ships while dodging depth charges and aerial bombs. Permit's next war patrol was in the Caroline Islands, where she provided lifeguard duty during air strikes until June of 1944. She returned to the United States in early 1945, and served as a training vessel at the Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut. That October she was declared inactive and moored at the Boston Naval Shipyard. Her decommissioning came in November, and she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 11 years later. In 1958, the hulk of USS Permit was sold for scrap.

The Permit served her country well, although she did so in a more subdued capacity than the ships which were in the midst of battle during the final few months of war. She did not suffer damages to any great degree, and fortunately incurred no loss of life. In fact, there is no information regarding any minor mishaps the Permit may have suffered, so it appears that her career was productive, safe, and profitable. However, her former crew should be aware that there may have been potential health risks aboard their home, just as all sailors are starting to now realize, decades later. At the time of submarine construction, it was common practice to place asbestos anywhere additional insulation was needed to regulate and control heat or flames. On a ship with an intense requirement for fire prevention, and limited resources or escape routes, the flexible and lightweight asbestos would have been an ideal retardant. Yet, the sealant that kept the asbestos contained may have been ripped or broken by repeated jarring of the ship due to nearby depth explosions. Once the tiny asbestos fibers had the chance to escape, they could have floated through the air system and exposed everyone on board to danger. If asbestos fibers were inhaled or swallowed, they could very well have remained in sailor's bodies all these years, potentially causing serious medical reactions as a consequence. Some of these could be in form of malignancies, especially mesothelioma, a cancer that is caused only by asbestos. Since time is of the essence with these diseases, it is important that anyone who once served onboard the USS Permit see a doctor at the first sign of unusual physical symptoms, and then call us for additional information.

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