USS Sea Dog SS-401

The USS Sea Dog was considered a United States Navy Balao-class submarine, named after the "destructive" dogfish shark. She was 311 feet long and carried a complement of 80 sailors, along with 10 21-inch torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, a five-inch 25-caliber deck gun and four machine guns. Sea Dog could reach a top speed of 20 knots per hour above water and nine knots submerged, with an endurance of 75 patrol days and 48 hours under water at two knots per hour. Her propulsion consisted of four 10-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators, along with two 126-cell Sargo batteries, four high-speed electric motors with reduction gears and two propellers. Sea Dog was awarded two Battle Stars during World War II.

A Busy First Year

After commissioning in 1944, Sea Dog traveled to Pearl Harbor and prepared for war patrol in Nansei Shoto with the Submarine Squadron 28. During this first mission, she attacked an armed trawler, leaving it in flames. Her next success was a few months later, when she sunk two ships of an enemy convoy, and the converted gun boat Tomitsu Maru. After a refitting, Sea Dog became part of a coordinated attack group wolf pack. In participation, she patrolled Luzon, Hainan, Hong Kong and Formosa. The wolf pack succeeded with two hits against an enemy convey in rough waters, after which Sea Dog had to return to port for a main engine overhaul.

While she was in repair, she was also provided with ST radar equipment, and her 40 millimeter gun was repositioned. Thus maintained, she set sail in her duty as lifeguard for aircraft strikes. The next few weeks saw her sinking the cargo ship Toko Maru, in between serving as flagship patrol for the nine-submarine Japan Sea Patrol Pack. During this period, Sea Dog sank the cargo ship Sagawa Maru, the merchant ship Shoyo Maru, and the coastal freighter Kofuku Maru, before firing on the Shinson Maru and breaking that in half. For the rest of her initial year of duty, she continued to score numerous other achievements, sinking the Koan Maru as well as the cargo ship Kokai Maru.

Normal Operations

Eventually, Sea Dog was ordered to Subic Bay in the Philippine Islands, and joined a newly-formed, postwar squadron, SubRon 5. In this mission, her job was to provide antisubmarine training services to Seventh Fleet units who were based around Tsingtao. Sea Dog stayed in this location and performed similar operations and normal maneuvers until 1947. She occasionally sailed to offer her services to forces in the Hawaiian Islands. It was during this tour of duty that Sea Dog was involved in a collision with Furse (DD-882) and suffered minor damage; she thus returned to Hawaii for repairs. Sea Dog then responded to a call for action in the Bering Sea for the purpose of gathering oceanographic and hydrographic data. This was followed by a trip back home to Pearl Harbor, at which time she was sent to the coast off Washington State and placed in the role of providing local training exercises along with antisubmarine warfare training services to Fleet Air Wing 4. In 1950, Sea Dog's next deployment was issued, this time to the western Pacific. After completion, she joined the Atlantic Fleet. Two years later during routine training maneuvers with Airship Squadron 2, she intercepted a distress signal off Jacksonville, Florida; it was from a damaged K-119 blimp. Sea Dog sped to the last reported position and rescued 11 survivors, but decided to sink the waterlogged blimp by penetrating its gas tanks.

She continued to serve in all aspects of US Navy operations for the next 5 years, at which time she was ordered inactivated. An overhaul was begun in January 1956 and Sea Dog was de-commissioned six months later. She was retained a part of the New London Reserve Group, and was partially re-activated in 1960. This next facet of her career was in the capacity as a Naval Reserve training ship for the 1st Naval District, and served until 1968, when she was de-commissioned for the last time. Sea Dog was then placed in the position of "floating museum" while docked in Salem, Massachusetts for another five years, until sold in 1973 for scrap.

Sea Dog was indeed fortunate that she incurred only one collision during her career, and that it did not result in tragic loss of life. She was also lucky that the impact did not cause excessive damage to wiring or mechanisms that may have resulted in an outbreak of fire. Other ships of her time were not so lucky, and some suffered disastrous events due to onboard fires. Since the Navy realized the risks associated with any sized fire aboard a ship with limited resources and escape routes, it provided every warship with extensive fire protection and prevention measures. This probably included a huge amount of asbestos, which was considered an excellent fire, flame, heat and electrical retardant of the mid-twentieth century. Since it could fit into any small and awkward space, and it didn't add to the ship's weight, asbestos was, in all likelihood, placed in many places, perceived as a material to enhance safety.

Unfortunately, exposure to errant asbestos fibers that escaped their sealants and entered the contained air system of submarines may have been dangerous. Sailors who unknowingly inhaled or swallowed any asbestos fibers may have retained them for these past decades, and may only now be experiencing unusual physical symptoms associated with serious diseases. Therefore, it is important that any sailor who served aboard the USS Sea Dog with such problems visit their doctor quickly. For more information, please fill out the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

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