USS Pickerel SS-177

At 300 feet long, the United State Navy submarine Pickerel was quite a bit larger than its namesake, a small pike. This Porpoise-class submarine could dive to 250 feet and reach speeds of 19 knots per hour on the surface and nine when submerged. Pickerel was propelled by four V16 diesel engines driving electrical generators, two 120-cell batteries, eight high-speed electric motors with reduction gears, and two shafts. She could endure 10 hours at five knots and 36 hours at minimum speed submerged, while carrying a complement of 54 sailors. Her armament consisted of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 16 torpedoes, one three-inch 50-caliber deck gun, and four machine guns. Pickerel was awarded three Battle Stars for her service during World War II.

Business as Usual

After being laid down in 1935 by the Electric Boat Company, Pickerel waited in Groton, Connecticut for 15 months to be launched. Her commissioning did not arrive until January of the following year, and shakedown took place in home waters. USS Pickerel was assigned the task of training exercises off the coast of New London, Connecticut, for nine months before she received a call to duty. In late fall, she set sail on her maiden voyage - first to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, then through the Panama Canal before meeting up with other members of the Pacific Fleet. Pickerel's home was now San Diego, California, and she conducted operations off the West Coast and Hawaii. Within the next three years, she was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines, sharing a strenuous schedule for war training.

Serving Her Country and Making the Ultimate Sacrifice

On December 8, 1941, she took to sea after hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, for a war patrol mission near Cam Ranh Bay and Tourane Harbor. USS Pickerel immediately went to work, following Japanese vessels and shooting torpedoes at targets. Her first hit came during the next patrol in the waters between Manila and Surabaya; she sank the 2929-ton ex-gunboat Kanko Maru in early 1942. She remained in the same vicinity through spring, and found herself requiring a refit in late August when she was near Brisbane, Australia. Traveling towards Pearl Harbor, she was directed to patrol the Mariana Islands, and it was there that she caused damage to an enemy freighter. Next, while ordered to patrol along the Kurile Islands in Tokyo traffic lanes, Pickerel sank the 1,990 ton Japanese cargo ship Tateyama Maru, as well as two 35-ton sampans during the course of 16 attacks. This success forced her to return to Pearl Harbor and Midway Island for supply reloading, before embarking on a journey to the eastern coast of northern Honshū. She left on March 22, 1943 and was never heard from again.

According to records, she is officially credited by the Japanese with sinking the 440-ton Submarine Chaser Number 13 and the 1,113-ton cargo ship Fukuei Maru during the first week of April. However, there are also records to indicate that Pickerel may have been struck near the Shiramuka Lighthouse a few days earlier, first by aircraft weapons and then by 26 depth charges from the minelayer Shiragami. There is no conclusive evidence that the oil spill on the water's surface was that of Pickerel's, but also no proof that she survived, either. Sadly, Pickerel went down in the history books as the first United States submarine to be lost in the Central Pacific area. Five months later, on August 19, 1943, the USS Pickerel was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.

Her career was so brief; six years for a submarine that had previously incurred no damage is indeed tragic. If any sailors served for a time on the Pickerel, but transferred out before her demise, they probably cannot believe their life's path. Yet, regardless where they continued to serve their time, they should be aware that all submarines may have posed a serious health threat in terms of exposing them to carcinogenic asbestos. If any unusual physical symptoms are noticed, a doctor should be seen. There may have been a chance that small asbestos fibers leaked out of their sealant due to any ship's repeated collisions, and sailors may have inhaled them. Remaining in their bodies for years, the irritant may have created a serious medical condition that now demands immediate attention. For more information on asbestos and asbestos-related diseases, please fill out the form on this page to receieve a comprehensive packet in the mail.

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