The USS Balao (SS-285) was the lead vessel of the renowned Balao-class submarine fleet created for World War II and that served throughout the Cold War era. The class and the vessel itself were remarkably effective, but their legacy was marred by the widespread presence of asbestos within its structure and systems that endangered the health of thousands of sailors and shipyard workers. Veterans who served aboard or worked on the Balao have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other devastating asbestos-related illnesses, and many are still at risk.
The Revolutionary Balao-Class Design
The USS Balao and her class ranked among the most successful submarines in U.S. naval history. There were 120 of the vessels completed between 1943 and 1945, which remains the Navy’s largest submarine program. These revolutionary vessels followed the proven Gato-class design with the addition of groundbreaking advances that transformed American submarine capabilities during the Pacific War.[1]
The most noteworthy innovation of the Balao-class was the replacement of standard mild steel construction with high-tensile steel (HTS) throughout the pressure hull structure. This increased the hull plating thickness from 0.5625 inches to 0.875 inches. The material composition shifted from basic carbon steel to advanced chrome-vanadium alloy, which was later modified to titanium-manganese steel to conserve America’s strategic resources. This modified construction enabled the submarines to operate in depths of 400 feet compared to the earlier 300-foot limit, which provided crucial tactical advantages in evading depth charges and in strategic positioning. One of the class dove to 612 feet during emergency evasion maneuvers.
Even with these changes, the class continued to achieve the previously established 11,000 nautical mile range, which enabled 75-day patrols across the Pacific. This propulsion was powered by either General Motors Cleveland Model 16-278A V-type diesels or Fairbanks-Morse 38D 8-1/8 nine-cylinder opposed-piston engines, depending on which yard built the vessel.
The Balao submarines built toward the end of the class benefited from another significant advancement with the introduction of low-speed double armature electric motors designed by Captain Hyman G. Rickover’s Bureau of Ships electrical division. These direct-drive motors eliminated noisy reduction gearing, making the submarines substantially quieter and harder to detect. This innovation was first installed aboard the USS Sea Owl and was a standard feature of the Navy’s next class of submarines, the Tench class.
About the USS Balao
Construction and Early Service
Named after the balao, a small schooling marine fish found in tropical Atlantic waters, the USS Balao was the inaugural vessel of her revolutionary class. Construction began at Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, in June 1942, and the submarine was launched in October, sponsored by Mrs. Jane Aylward, wife of Lieutenant Commander Theodore C. Aylward. The vessel was commissioned in February 1943, with Lieutenant Commander Richard H. Crane assuming command.[2]
After six weeks of intensive training, the Balao departed New London, Connecticut, for the Pacific Theater of Operations. She joined the 7th Fleet at Brisbane, Australia, in July 1943, and after a brief refit, prepared for her inaugural war patrol. This was both the first operational deployment of the new class and a test of the engineering that went into her design.
The Balao measured 311 feet 9 inches in length with a 27-foot beam. She displaced 1,526 tons surfaced, expanding to 2,414 tons when submerged. Despite an extremely cramped interior, the vessel carried 6 officers and 60 enlisted personnel. On the surface, she could achieve 20.25 knots, while submerged, her speed reached 8.75 knots. Her offensive armament included ten 21-inch torpedo tubes capable of launching 24 torpedoes, supplemented by a 4-inch deck gun and two 20mm anti-aircraft weapons.[1]
USS Balao Service History
Early War Patrols (1943-1944)
USS Balao’s first war patrol began in July 1943, when she topped off fuel tanks from the submarine rescue vessel USS Coucal. In August, she was assigned to monitor sea lanes between Truk and the Bismarck Archipelago. Despite five enemy contacts during this patrol, positioning problems and enemy evasive maneuvers prevented her from recording any successful torpedo attacks. The submarine shifted to the Palau-Rabaul route but returned to Brisbane in September without achieving any sinkings.[2]
Departing Brisbane the following month for her second patrol, Balao received orders to patrol between Palau and the Bismarck Archipelago in coordination with USS Silversides. After refueling at Tulagi, she encountered a Japanese convoy, but scored no hits with a six-torpedo attack that attracted depth charge counterattacks that caused minor damage. Days later, the Balao achieved six hits on another seven-ship Japanese convoy. Her third patrol offered several opportunities, without success.
First Confirmed Victories (1944)
During her fourth patrol in early 1944, Balao encountered a two-freighter convoy with minimal escort. Six torpedoes were fired, achieving three hits and sinking a 5,857-ton Japanese ship. She also spotted another convoy and fired six torpedoes from bow tubes before switching to stern tubes, successfully destroying two ships. The hits significantly boosted crew morale and validated the Balao-class design concepts.
Later War Operations (1944-1945)
On the Balao’s fifth patrol, she encountered challenges when deficiencies in her surface search radar abilities hampered target acquisition. Another encounter was repelled by aggressive escort action, while a third engagement had only limited success before fuel shortages forced the vessel to return to Majuro.
Her sixth patrol proved more eventful, with shore bombardment operations destroying lighthouse and loading dock facilities. Lifeguard duties off Peleliu resulted in rescuing downed aviators from USS Bunker Hill, while coordinated attacks with USS Drum sank multiple sampans using deck gunfire.
Subsequent patrols through the war’s end included notable successes such as sinking a 5,244-ton freighter and destroying a 10,413-ton transport in the Yellow Sea. Balao’s final wartime action came during her tenth patrol with lifeguard duties east of Honshu. This concluded her combat operations as Japan surrendered in August.
Post-War Service and Hollywood Fame (1945-1963)
After war victory celebrations, the Balao left Pearl Harbor for Staten Island, New York, where she underwent a comprehensive overhaul before being decommissioned in August 1946. She became part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at New London, Connecticut, but was recommissioned in March 1952 for the Korean War effort. After shakedown training, she was reassigned to Submarine Squadron 12 at Key West, Florida, where she primarily served as a training platform for antisubmarine warfare forces.
The USS Balao achieved celebrity status unexpectedly in 1959, when she was featured as the “pink submarine” in the comedy film “Operation Petticoat.” In 1961, she participated in testing the revolutionary “Steinke Hood,” simulating a disabled submarine during trials of this escape device. She continued training operations until the Board of Inspection and Survey classified her as unfit for further service in 1963. The submarine was decommissioned in August 1963, and her hull was sunk as a target in September. Her conning tower and periscope shears were preserved at the National Museum of the United States Navy at Washington Navy Yard.
The Navy’s Tragic Use of Asbestos
When the U.S. Navy was ordering its World War II fleet, asbestos was a favored material because of its exceptional thermal resistance, fire suppression properties, and corrosion protection capabilities. To enhance vessel safety and operational effectiveness, the military mandated its use in all its vessels, unknowingly exposing countless service members and shipyard workers to substantial health risks. It wasn’t until the mid-1970s, when news of asbestos’s dangers emerged, that the Navy discontinued this practice.
Submarine-Specific Asbestos Hazards
Submarines’ unique environments presented particular dangers. Contributing factors included:
- Cramped quarters: Despite the improvements in Balao-class design, the areas where crew members lived, worked, and slept were extremely tight, leading to constant proximity to asbestos-containing materials.
- Sealed environment: Submarine crews were exposed to air that was continually recycled while submerged, and this prolonged and intensified exposure risks, keeping disturbed asbestos particles present.
- Sound dampening: Submarines’ tactical effectiveness relied on their ability to operate undetected, and in addition to insulating against heat and flame, asbestos was effective at reducing noise. Much of the acoustic technology integrated throughout the submarine contained asbestos.
Health Consequences of Asbestos Exposure
When left alone and intact, asbestos presents no immediate threat. But once it’s been damaged, has deteriorated, or disturbed through maintenance activities, equipment vibration, or normal wear, it becomes friable, a term that describes the tendency to release microscopic fibers that remain airborne for extended periods. When these are inhaled or ingested, it can result in very serious illnesses, including mesothelioma, a rare and fatal form of cancer.
Mesothelioma affects the mesothelium, the protective membrane that lines the cavity that holds the lungs, abdomen, and heart. The form of the disease that affects the lung cavity — pleural mesothelioma — is most common among those diagnosed with the disease, but other patients develop tumors in their abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesothelioma). The disease can also form in the heart cavity (pericardial mesothelioma) or the membrane surrounding the testes (testicular mesothelioma).
Approximately 3,500 Americans receive mesothelioma diagnoses annually, with virtually all cases traced to asbestos exposure and a disproportionate percentage affecting Navy veterans. Traditional treatment approaches have proven ineffective, in part because the disease’s characteristic decades-long latency can delay diagnosis until it’s in an advanced stage.
Veterans who served aboard the USS Balao also face increased risks for:
- Lung Cancer
- Asbestosis
- Cancers affecting the throat, reproductive organs, and other body systems
- Pleural thickening, pleural plaques, and pleural effusions.
Assessing Your Asbestos Exposure Risk from USS Balao Service
If you served aboard the USS Balao or were involved in repairing, maintaining, or upgrading her, you face an elevated risk of developing asbestos-related illnesses, including mesothelioma. Because decades pass between exposure to asbestos and the appearance of mesothelioma’s symptoms, many of those who are eventually diagnosed don’t initially connect their health problems to events in their distant past. This makes education about risks and proactive health management essential for all former submarine personnel.
Your first step is to learn the warning signs of the various asbestos-related conditions. Make a call to your healthcare provider and ask them to add your exposure history to your medical records. Early symptom recognition and diagnosis can improve your chances of starting treatment promptly, and given the rarity of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions compared to common respiratory or cardiac problems, most physicians won’t immediately consider them in their diagnostic process. Making them aware of your long-ago exposure avoids this common pitfall.
Symptoms requiring attention include:
- Persistent cough
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Pain in the chest or ribs
- Fluid accumulation around the lungs (pleural effusion)
- Swelling or bloating of the abdomen
- Pain or discomfort in the abdominal region
- Unexplained changes in bowel habits or digestion
- Unexplained fatigue
- Significant weight loss without dietary changes
- Loss of appetite
- Recurring night sweats
If you experience any of these symptoms, your physician’s awareness of your exposure history will speed the ordering of specialized diagnostic testing, arranging consultations with oncology specialists, and more rapidly reaching an accurate diagnosis.
Support Resources for USS Balao Veterans with Mesothelioma
Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related conditions face significant challenges. The realities of the disease and its prognosis make prioritizing both your own health and your family’s welfare critically important. To ensure your family’s well-being and financial security, reaching out for support and pursuing compensation becomes essential.
Resources include:
Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits
The VA provides extensive assistance for service members who develop illnesses from military asbestos exposure, including:
- Disability Compensation: Monthly payments for veterans whose health conditions are connected to military asbestos exposure. Payment amounts are determined by assigned disability ratings based on disease, its severity, and its impact on daily functioning.
- Medical Treatment: Specialized care is available to veterans through both VA medical facilities nationwide and some of the best cancer centers in the country, which offer cutting-edge mesothelioma treatment protocols and access to clinical trials.
- Family Support: Comprehensive services for eligible veterans and families, including counseling programs, home healthcare services, and survivor benefits for family members.
Qualifying for these benefits requires completing detailed claims forms and establishing a clear connection between your condition and military service. Required documentation includes:
- Medical records confirming asbestos-related diagnoses with supporting pathology reports
- Evidence of military asbestos exposure during service aboard submarines or in shipyard environments
- Professional medical opinions linking conditions to specific service periods and exposure circumstances
Legal Compensation
Beyond VA benefits, USS Balao veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases can pursue financial compensation:
Civil Litigation: Filing personal injury lawsuits against manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos products has resulted in countless veterans receiving out-of-court settlements or juries awarding generous awards to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. If Balao veterans die from their asbestos-related disease, their surviving family members may be able to file wrongful death claims seeking compensation for loss of support and companionship.
Asbestos Trust Funds: Many former asbestos manufacturers have established compensation trusts for victims. These funds were typically created through bankruptcy proceedings as companies faced overwhelming litigation, though some companies have established compensation programs voluntarily. Asbestos trusts offer significant sources of compensation, providing an alternative to lengthy litigation.
Consultation with a Mesothelioma Attorney
Veterans who want more information about these options should consult an experienced asbestos attorney who specializes in military exposure cases. These specialized lawyers focus exclusively on asbestos claims and understand the unique challenges of documenting naval and occupational exposure. They can answer all your questions and provide guidance on how complex legal processes apply to your specific situation.
A mesothelioma diagnosis brings chaos, grief, and fear. There’s an awful lot to think about and attend to, but prompt contact with an attorney is essential for preserving your legal rights. Different states and jurisdictions have varying time limits for filing claims, making immediate consultation crucial. A mesothelioma attorney will explain everything that is entailed in pursuing each of your options, help establish realistic expectations about potential outcomes, and work to minimize burden and stress on your family while maximizing compensation received.
References
View All References
