The USS Blackfin (SS-322), with a crew of 70 enlisted men and 10 officers, was a Balao-class submarine named for a fish found in the Great Lakes. Built by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, the Blackfin was launched in 1944 and competed five World War II patrols.
Three WWII Battle Stars
The Blackfin sank a Japanese destroyer, the Shigure, and a cargo ship. Three battle stars were awarded to the Blackfin for her service in the Pacific Fleet, in areas such as the Yellow Sea and South China Sea.
The war concluded during the fifth patrol of the Blackfin, and she returned to Guam in 1945. After repairs there, the Blackfin joined Submarine Squadron 1 in San Diego. She was active in the Marianas Islands, Hawaii, and even the Arctic Circle.
Converted to a GUPPY Sub
The USS Blackfin was mothballed in late 1948 at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. She was later converted to a GUPPY (Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program) submarine and recommissioned, completing two tours in the Far East.
The Blackfin’s final decommissioning took place in 1972. She was used in two movies: "Ice Station Zebra" starring Rock Hudson, and "Move Over Darling" with Doris Day. Her end arrived as a target, sunk by torpedo off the coast of California.
Asbestos Diseases and the USS Blackfin
In light of the era in which the Blackfin was built, it is likely that the shipyard personnel who built her and the Navy veterans who served aboard her were exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos, a mineral that has been proven to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing).
If you had contact with the Blackfin — whether you helped build, repair, or convert her, or served aboard her — you should learn all that you can about asbestos diseases (e.g., lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis). The same is true if it is your loved one — your father, grandfather, mother, or other — who has been diagnosed with a medical condition that may have been caused by asbestos.
Contact a law firm in your area that helps victims of asbestos. Your legal rights are too important to leave aside.
