The USS Archer-Fish (SS-311) received a Presidential Unit Citation and seven battle stars and for her service in World War II. Built in Kittery, Maine at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, the Archer-Fish was launched in 1943 as a Balao-class submarine. After the Archer-Fish was recommissioned in 1952, the hyphen in its name was removed.
Sinking the Shinano
The USS Archer-Fish is best known for sinking a Japanese aircraft carrier, the Shinano (the biggest warship ever sunk by a submarine) in late 1944. This was the basis for the Presidential Unit Citation. With a crew of 70 enlisted men and 10 officers, the Archer-Fish served in the Pacific Fleet.
Overhauls, Eventual Torpedo Target
The Archer-Fish was overhauled in 1945 in San Francisco at the Hunters Point Navy Yard. In 1952, a fire broke out on the Archerfish and she was taken to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for repairs. After an inactivation overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the Archerfish spent time at New London, Connecticut.
Following 25 years of service in the U.S. Navy, the USS Archerfish was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and then sunk off the coast of San Diego as a torpedo target by the submarine Snook (SSN-592) in 1968.
The Archer-Fish and Asbestos Exposure
If you (or your father, for example) served aboard a U.S. Navy submarine such as the Archer-Fish, you should be aware that thousands of Navy veterans have been diagnosed with asbestos diseases that are traceable to their military service. Asbestos was very widely used in Navy vessels built before the 1980s.
The risk of asbestos exposure was especially high for the men who served aboard submarines, because of the tightly enclosed spaces and limited ventilation. Asbestos fibers are invisible — although large clouds of millions of fibers may be visible when the sunlight strikes them at the right angle — and submarine crews could easily inhale the asbestos without even being aware of doing so.
Whether you or your family member served aboard the Archer-Fish or helped build, maintain or overhaul her, talk to an attorney about your asbestos concerns and your legal rights.
