The USS Bugara (SS-331) received three battle stars for her WWII service. Named after the bugara, a fish found along the California coast, the Bugara was a Balao-class submarine built by the Electric Boat Company — as were nearly all of the U.S. Navy’s subs in that era. The Bugara was launched in July 1944 and commissioned the following November.
Three World War II Patrols
Three war patrols were the Bugara’s first operations, in the:
 Flores Sea
 Gulf of Siam
 Java Sea
 South China Sea
An Interesting Third Patrol
During the USS Bugara’s third patrol, in the Gulf of Siam, a Japanese vessel manned by a crew from China was being attacked by Malay pirates. The Bugara rescued the crew and sank the ship. The native crews of more than 50 other small vessels were also put ashore.
After the Bugara’s last patrol, she proceeded first to Fremantle, Australia and then on to Subic Bay, where she operated until the end of the war.
Overhauls at Pearl Harbor and San Francisco
Overhauled at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in 1946, the Bugara made a training cruise in the Bering Sea and went later to Yokosuka, Japan, via Guam, Melbourne, and Tsingtao. She was overhauled again, this time at San Francisco.
In the early 1950s, the USS Bugara operated along the Pacific coast, based in San Diego and participating in training and fleet exercises. She was decommissioned in 1970, and while being towed near Cape Flattery, Washington, the Bugara swamped and sank.
The USS Bugara — Asbestos Risk
Gaskets, brake linings, machinery parts, and extensive insulation in the USS Bugara may well have contained asbestos — the mineral that is toxic at high levels. The 80 men who served aboard the Bugara and the hundreds of shipyard workers who constructed the Bugara were at risk of inhaling loose asbestos fibers.
The U.S. Navy was aware of the dangers of asbestos long ago. However, adequate safety precautions were not implemented by the Navy until the 1970s. Contact an asbestos attorney if these facts are of concern to you.
