USS Harder SS-257

A Highly Decorated Submarine and Crew
Launched in 1942, the USS Harder received the Presidential Unit Citation and six battle stars, and the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to her skipper, Commander Samuel D. Dealey, known as "a submariner's submariner."

The Harder sank the following Japanese ships and more:

 Sagara Maru
 Koyo Maru
 Yoko Maru
 Kachisan Maru
 Kowa Maru
 Daishin Maru
 Udo Maru
 Hokko Maru
 NikkÅ� Maru
 Ikazuchi (a destroyer)
 Matsue Maru
 Minatsuki (a destroyer)
 Hayanami (a destroyer)
 Tanikaze (a destroyer)
 Matsuwa and Hiburi (frigates)
 Asakaze

“Hit 'Em Again, Harder"
Nicknamed "Hit 'Em Again, Harder," the USS Harder racked up an impressive — nearly legendary — record in her six war patrols in places such as Woleai Cape, Bolinao, Dasol Bay, the coast of Japan, the western Carolines, the Celebes Sea, North Borneo, and the South China Sea.

Like other subs of her day, the USS Harder spend time at Midway, Pearl Harbor, Subic Bay, Fremantle, Australia, and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California for repairs, maintenance, refitting or overhaul.

Sunk by Enemy Forces
The Harder and all of her crew were lost in an enemy attack in August 1944 at Dasol Bay in the Philippines.

The USS Harder and Asbestos Exposure
Essentially all of the U.S. Navy’s submarines and other WWII-era vessels contained a significant level of asbestos. The men and women who built the Harder and the crewmen who served aboard the Harder (about 60 men on each mission) may have been exposed to a toxic degree of asbestos — a carcinogenic material that was eventually banned from almost all uses in ships.

If you fear that you or your family member incurred toxic asbestos exposure in connection with the Harder, contact an asbestos lawyer to address your concerns.