USS Pollack SS-180

The USS Pollack was a United States Navy Porpoise-class submarine which carried a complement of 54 sailors. She could dive to 250 feet and reach a surface speed of 19 knots per hour, and had a submerged speed of nine knots. Her propulsion consisted of four eight-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines, two 120-cell batteries, four high-speed electric motors, and two shafts. This gave her a submerged endurance of 36 hours at minimum speed. She was armed with six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 16 torpedoes, one three-inch 50-caliber deck gun, and four machine guns. Pollack was awarded ten Battle Stars for her World War II service.

The First in the Battle Zone

After being laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1935, Pollack was launched the following year and commissioned in January 1937. She stood out five months later for her shakedown training in the Caribbean, and was deemed ready for her maiden voyage three months later. Pollack first sailed to her new base on the West Coast of the United States, arriving at San Diego in December. For most of the following year, she participated in training, exercises, and military maneuvers along the seaboard, with the Scouting Force of Submarine Division 13. In late 1939, she was directed to Pearl Harbor, where she served until the onset of World War II. At that time, Pollack was ordered to travel to the area of Honshu, Japan. She reached her destination close to midnight on December 31, with the distinction as one of the first American warships to reach Japanese waters. In less than a week, Pollack attacked the 2,700-ton cargo ship Heijo Maru, causing severe damage, and sank the 2,250-ton cargo ship Unkai Maru No. 1. This was the first official success by the Pacific Fleet. The next week saw USS Pollack sinking the 5,387-ton freighter Teian Maru, and in March, she sent another cargo ship, the Fukushu Maru, to the bottom before damaging another. After setting a 600-ton patrol vessel afire with gun power, she needed an overhaul in June.

Strength and Endurance

Leaving Pearl Harbor at the end of the year, her next duty was to patrol approaches to Truk for the interception of crippled enemy ships. This mission was followed by war patrol between the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, where she damaged a freighter the following March. Pollack's next victory took place in the area of the Schischmarev Strait, where she sank the ex-gunboat Terushima Maru, following that with a sinking of the converted light cruiser Bangkok Maru the next day near the Jaluit Atoll.

In August, while patrolling off the coast of Kyushu, she sank the passenger/cargo ship Taifuku Maru, and in September, she sank the cargo ship Tagonoura Maru. The start of 1944 found Pollack off Nanpu Islands, where she destroyed the 1,327-ton freighter Hakuyo Maru, and sank Submarine Chaser No. 54, the passenger-cargo ship Tosei Maru, and damaged two freighters. In the same area a month later, Pollack approached 10 merchantmen with several escorts and fired her torpedoes, one of which sank the Japanese destroyer Asanagi, but initiated a hostile counter-attack. Not heavily damaged, Pollack sailed to lifeguard duty around the vicinities of Woleai Island, Yap Island and Palau area. However, she still managed to bomb the phosphate plant on Fais Island in late August before a refit in Brisbane. After this maintenance, she participated in military exercises with HMAS Geelong before operations with the Pacific Fleet destroyer force off Oahu. Pollack then remained in U.S. waters, returning to the Sub Base at New London, Connecticut, for her new role as a training ship of the Submarine School. In June 1945, she was sent to the Portsmouth Navy Yard and declared inactivated; Pollack received her decommission three months later. USS Pollack was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in October of 1946, and she was sold for scrapping the following year.

Pollack certainly deserved the many Battle Stars she received in the service of her country. She was very fortunate that none of the counter-attacks resulted in serious damage or loss of life. Her luck also extended to the few, if any, mishaps that incurred on board. Many other ships were not so blessed, and experienced incidents that could not be blamed on enemy attack. Some of these were due to carelessness or malfunction, and caused on board fires. With the threat of this severe danger, the Navy added as much protection as possible. At the time, this probably included asbestos, since it was considered an excellent fire retardant and could easily fit into the small, awkward spaces of submarines.

However, its sealant could become ripped or broken due to a vessel's repeated collisions, overhauls, or even normal wearing. If that happened, tiny fibers would have been able to escape and drift anywhere on board. If a sailor inhaled or swallowed them, there's a chance they may still retain the fibers, and the years of irritation could have caused a serious medical condition. There have even been many cases of malignancies as a result of asbestos exposure. That is why it is very important that any former USS Pollack crew member see their doctor at the first sign of unusual physical symptoms. If you would like more information, please fill out the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

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