USS Plunger SS-179

The USS Plunger, at 301 feet in length, was a United States Navy Porpoise-class submarine. She was named after a fish known to be a daring, gambling, diver, and shared the same features as her namesake. Helping her in this way were her propulsion devices, consisting of four eight-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators, two 120-cell batteries, four high-speed electric motors with reduction gears, and two shafts. Thus, she could reach top speeds of 20 knots per hour when surfaced, endure 10 hours at five knots, and sustain for 36 hours at nine knots when submerged at her maximum depth of 250 feet. Plunger's complement was 54 sailors, and she protected them with an armament of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 16 torpedoes, one three-inch (76 mm) 50-caliber deck gun, and four machine guns. USS Plunger was awarded a total of 14 Battle Stars for her World War II service.

Pre-War Business as Usual

Laid down in July, 1935, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Plunger was launched a year later, but wasn't commissioned until that November and didn't leave her base in New York until April, 1937. Her shakedown took place in Guantanamo Bay and Guayaquil, Ecuador, and uncovered the need for alterations before her first call to duty could begin. After changes were completed at Portsmouth, Plunger was finally ready to join her assigned unit, the Submarine Division 14, Squadron 6, in San Diego. She remained with them for more than a few years, performing regular service duties in the area and carrying out standard operations, maneuvers, and exercises. Her first maiden voyage came in 1938, when she was ordered to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, followed by a directive to train off Panama and Hawaii. In December, 1941, as Plunger sailed off the coast of Diamond Head, Japanese planes attacked and World War II began.

The War Effort

Plunger's first war patrol took her to Kii Suido, near the Inland Sea, where she sank the Japanese cargo ship Eizon Maru within the first month of hostilities. Six months later, in the Shanghai area, she sank the 4,700-ton cargo ships Ukai Maru No. 5 and Unyo Maru No. 3. USS Plunger's third patrol later that year saw her speeding to Matanikau and Cape Esperance to assist in a reconnaissance mission, but she hit an uncharted reef. Her sound gear was destroyed and there was damage to her bottom. After repairs at Brisbane, Plunger started her fourth war patrol, again in the Guadalcanal area. She skillfully evaded four destroyers and attacked two others while they were unloading troops and supplies at Munda Bar, before heading back to Pearl Harbor. During 1943, Plunger continued to skillfully serve in various deployment missions. She sank Taihosan Maru, Tatsutake Maru and Kinai Maru in May, and in August, she sank the 3,404-ton Seitai Maru and the 4,655-ton Ryokai Maru in the Sea of Okhotsk. That fall, Plunger maintained presence in the Marshall Islands area as a lifeguard, rescuing one downed aviator in the face of additional enemy attack. The following year exposed Plunger to a series of close and frequent depth charge attacks while she patrolled the Japanese main islands, but she was till able to sink Toyo Maru No. 5, Toyo Maru No. 8 and Kimishima Maru. After refit, maintenance and repairs, she was back on patrol in May at the Bonin Islands, sailing to Truk later that summer. An overhaul took place that fall in Pearl Harbor. Plunger began a new task as a training unit in New London, Connecticut, until the end of October. At that time, she was sent to the Boston Navy Yard, and was decommissioned in November, 1945. Placed in inactive status, Plunger reported to Brooklyn, New York, in the service of a Naval Reserve Training vessel, in1946. Such duties continued for six years, until she sailed to Jacksonville, Florida for the Naval Reserve Training Program. Upon her return home in 1954, she was eventually declared inessential, and stricken from the Navy Register in 1956. USS Plunger was sold to Bethlehem Steel Company in 1957, and scrapped the following year.

Plunger was fortunate that she never incurred any catastrophe or loss of life during her involvement in enemy attacks, but her unexpected collision with the ocean floor is proof that accidents happened. Although she was able to carry on, it was probably as scary as any attack or onboard mishap, since the crew probably could not ascertain the amount of damage that had occurred. Since submarines were in danger of such occurrences, the Navy attempted to protect the ship and sailors from at least one result, and that was fire. With limited escape and resources should a fire break out, ships were built with as much fire protection as possible, and that probably included a good deal of asbestos. During a good part of the twentieth century, asbestos was seen as an ideal insulation against fire, flame and heat, and its lightweight, flexible composition made it ideal for small and awkward spaces. However, it the sealant had become damaged due to collision, overhaul, or simple wear and tear, tiny asbestos fibers may have escaped and drifted anywhere on board. Therefore, a crew member may have inadvertently inhaled or swallowed some asbestos and could have retained it in his lungs or stomach these many decades. It is only now that medical conditions resulting from this exposure are becoming noticeable, as years of irritation have caused serious medical conditions in some individuals. There have been cases of a lung lining cancer called mesothelioma, which is caused only by asbestos, as well as other malignancies. That is why it is imperative that any former sailor who served onboard the USS Plunger see their doctor at the first sign of unusual physical symptoms. They should also contact us for additional information.

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