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USS Balao SS-285

The USS Balao was launched on October 27, 1942, and commissioned on February 3, 1943. After her training period, she sailed for the Pacific joined the 7th Fleet at Brisbane, Australia in July 1943. The USS Balao had an eventful ten patrols during World War II, and was awarded nine battle stars for her service.

The USS Balao during World War II

After a brief refit, the USS Balao began her first war patrol on July 25, 1943. During this first patrol, however, she saw few enemy vessels and was unable to launch any attacks. After this first uneventful patrol, she returned to Brisbane on September 13. Her second patrol was underway on October 4. Assigned this time to patrol north of the Bismarck Archipelago, she sighted her first enemy convoy on October 17. She fired six torpedoes, but none found their mark, and her targets quickly moved out of range. After joining Silverside for a coordinated attack on a convoy on October 23, she fired ten torpedoes, scoring six hits on three ships. However, she was quickly forced to dive, as the ships escorting the convoy began to fire. Five days later she was assigned to scout south of Truk, but the remainder of her patrol was uneventful, and she made for Milne Bay, New Guinea for a refit.

On December 6, she was underway for her third patrol, and after several days spent on training exercises she headed out on December 13. The first two weeks of her patrol were quiet, but on December 27 she spotted a group of four warships. However, they passed by so quickly that she was able to fire only four torpedoes, all of which missed their targets. She quickly located a second convoy, but returned to Brisbane on January 7, 1944 without having hit any of her targets.

After a brief refit and training period, the USS Balao left Brisbane for her fourth patrol on February 6, and arrived at her patrol area north of New Guinea on February 13. Her first opportunity for attack came ten days later on February 23, and she scored three hits on a small convoy. During this attack she hit and sank the Nikki Maru, a 6,000 ton cargo ship. On February 29, she located another convoy, and struck with several torpedoes at the Shoho Maru, a 2,700 ton freighter, and the Akiuro Maru, a 6,800 ton cargo ship. During the remainder of her patrol, she sighted several convoys, but scored no hits. She returned to Pearl Harbor on March 19.

The USS Balao was back in action for her next patrol on April 25. This fifth patrol turned out to be much less eventful than her fourth, as she fired at just a couple of targets, and scored no hits. She was forced to end her patrol early due to fuel shortages, and entered Majuro Atoll on June 12. After refit, she departed for her sixth patrol on July 5. The first few weeks were quiet, but on July 26 she joined with other ships in bombarding Angaur Island, and later in the same day rescued a pilot from a downed fighter plane. After a couple of days spent on lifeguard duty, she resumed patrolling until the middle of August, when she was ordered to Mare Island Navy Yard for an overhaul. After this was completed, she was back in Pearl Harbor on November 15.

Her seventh patrol began on December 4, meeting up with Spot and Icefish, and the three submarines were underway to patrol in the Yellow Sea. They located no targets for almost a full month, before finally sighting a schooner on January 2, 1945. It was downed by the Balao, and just six days later she fired on and sank the freighter Daigo Maru. She continued patrolling until the end of her patrol on January 19.

The eighth patrol of the Balao saw her joining a new attack group with Tench, Guardfish, and Seadevil. The four submarines patrolled the Yellow and East China seas, where the Balao located and downed the transport ship Hakozaki Maru on March 19. She attacked other convoys during the patrol, but scored no more hits, and ended her patrol at Guam on April 8. Her ninth patrol began on May 3, when she left for the Yellow Sea as part of a wolf pack which included Dragonet, Shad, and Spikefish. The pack found few targets, however, and the Balao suffered mechanical problems which forced her to cut her patrol short. She arrived at Peal Harbor on June 7 where she spent a month in port to prepare for her tenth and last patrol of the war. Underway on July 7, her main activity during her final patrol was providing lifeguard service during strikes on the Japanese homelands. After the Japanese surrender on August 15 she returned to Pearl Harbor, before departing for Staten Island, where she underwent an overhaul before being decommissioned on August 20, 1946.

After the War

The USS Balao was recommissioned on March 4, 1952, and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. She was assigned to operate out of Key West in Florida, where she served mainly as a training ship. Beginning in January 1957, she joined other ships in Destroyer Squadron 24 to make a goodwill cruise to South America, stopping in Caracas, Venezuela, Uruguay and many other locations before returning in March. Until her decommission and removal from the Navy Register on August 1, 1963, she engaged mainly in training exercises in Guantanamo Bay, Key West, and the Mediterranean.

Many United States Navy vessels contained large amounts of asbestos, as the substance was once used extensively as an insulator and fire-proofing material. Many people who served onboard these vessels, or were involved in building, repairing, or outfitting them, have subsequently developed asbestos-related diseases due to asbestos exposure. If you've developed an asbestos-related disease as a result of involvement with Navy vessels, contact us for information about your legal options.

Submarines Index

USS Albacore SS 218 USS Amberjack SS 219 USS Angler SS 240 USS Apogon SS 308 USS Archer-Fish SS 311 USS Argonaut-SM-1 USS Argonaut SS 475 USS Aspro SS 309 USS Atule SS 403 USS Balao SS 285 USS Bang SS 385 USS Barbel SS 316 USS Barbero SS 317 USS Barb SS 220 USS Barracuda SS 163 USS Bashaw SS 241 USS Bergall SS 320 USS Besugo SS 321 USS Billfish SS 286 USS Blackfin SS 322 USS Blackfish SS 221 USS Blenny SS 324 USS Blower SS 325 USS Blueback SS 326 USS Bluefish SS 222 USS Bluegill SS 242 USS Boarfish SS 327 USS Bonefish SS 223 USS Bonita SS 165 USS Bowfin SS 287 USS Bream SS 243 USS Brill SS 330 USS Bugara SS 331 USS Bullhead SS 332 USS Bumper SS 333 USS Burrfish SS 312 USS Cabezon SS 334 USS Carbonero SS 337 USS Hake SS 256 USS Hammerhead SS 364 USS Harder SS 257 USS Hardhead SS 365 USS Hawkbill SS 366

USS Herring SS 233 USS Hoe SS 258 USS Icefish SS 367 USS Jack SS 259 USS Jallao SS 368 USS Kete S 369 USS Kingfish SS 234 USS Kraken SS 370 USS Lagarto SS 371 USS Lizardfish SS 373 USS Loggerhead SS 374 USS Macabi SS 375 USS Mackerel 204 USS Manta SS 299 USS Mapiro SS 376 USS Marlin SS 205 USS Mingo SS 261 USS Moray SS 300 USS Muskallunge SS 262 USS Narwhal SS 263 USS Nautilus SS 168 USS Paddle SS 167 USS Pampanito SS 383 USS Parche SS 384 USS Pargo SS 264 USS Perch SS 176 USS Permit SS 178 USS Peto SS 265 USS Pickerel SS 177 USS Picuda SS 382 USS Pike SS 173 USS Pilotfish SS 386 USS Pintado SS 387 USS Pipefish SS 388 USS Piranha SS 389 USS Plaice SS 390 USS Plunger SS 179 USS Pogy SS 266 USS Pollack SS 180 USS Pomfret SS 391 USS Pompano SS 181 USS Pompon SS 267 USS Porpoise SS 172

USS Puffer SS 268 USS Queenfish SS 393 USS Quillback SS 424 USS Rasher SS 269 USS Raton SS 270 USS Ray SS 271 USS Razorback SS 394 USS Redfin SS 272 USS Redfish SS 395 USS Robalo SS 273 USS Rock SS 274 USS Ronquil SS 396 USS Runner SS 275 USS Runner SS 476 USS S-1 SS 105 USS S-20 SS 125 USS S-46 SS 157 USS Sailfish SS 192 USS Salmon SS 182 USS Sand Lance SS 381 USS Sargo SS 188 USS Saury SS 189 USS Sawfish SS 276 USS Scabbardfish SS 397 USS Scamp SS 277 USS Scorpion SS 278 USS Sculpin SS 191 USS Sea Cat SS 399 USS Sea Devil SS 400 USS Sea Dog SS 401 USS Seadragon SS 194 USS Sea Fox SS 402 USS Seahorse SS 304 USS Sealion SS 195 USS Seal SS 183 USS Sea Owl SS 405 USS Sea Poacher SS 406 USS Searaven SS 196 USS Sea Robin SS 407 USS Seawolf SS 197 USS Segundo SS 398 USS Sennet SS 408

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