The USS Blackfish (SS-221) was named for a group of whale species that includes Orca, the killer whale. As a Gato-class submarine, the Blackfish was very active in World War II, receiving eight battle stars for her service. She was built in Groton, Connecticut by the General Dynamics Electric Boat Company, and launched in 1942.
Twelve WWII Patrols
With a crew of 54 enlisted men and six officers, the Blackfish was assigned to Submarine Squadron 50 in the naval forces in Europe, and left from Montauk Point, New York. She soon completed patrols in locations extending from the north of Ireland to Spain to West Africa.
The Southwest Pacific
After refitting in the U.S. in 1943, the Blackfish completed seven war patrols in the Southwest Pacific at sites such as:
 the Solomon Islands
 New Guinea
 the South China Sea
 the East China Sea
 the Yellow Sea
Mothballed in 1946
The Blackfish sank a German patrol boat and a Japanese cargo ship in the course of her 12 war patrols, and she rescued six Army fliers in 1945. Her inactive status began right after the war’s conclusion, at the submarine base in New London, Connecticut. In 1959, the USS Blackfish was sold for scrap.
The USS Blackfish and Asbestos Dangers
Asbestos is a highly versatile insulation material. It’s quite flame- and friction-resistant. The ship construction industry used asbestos in hundreds of applications throughout the first 70 years of the nineteenth century, in both construction methods and ship components.
Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of shipyard workers and crew members have been exposed to toxic levels of asbestos. The civilian and military personnel were at risk of inhaling the small, invisible-to-the-naked-eye fibers of which asbestos is made, initiating a disease process that culminates in asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, or other cancer.
If You Suspect You Were Exposed to Asbestos
If you or your family member had contact with the USS Blackfish, asbestos poisoning is a possible outcome. Learn more about the dangers of asbestos in U.S. Navy subs, and about the legal rights of individuals and families impacted by asbestos diseases.
