USS Diodon SS-349

Constructed at the Electric Boat Company in 1946, the USS Diodon (SS-349) was a Balao-class submarine.  As a member of the Balao-class, the USS Diodon was a true diesel electric submarine.  She was fitted with four diesel engines and two large electrical generators that powered the submarine when submerged.

Her construction officially began on June 1, 1944, when her keel was laid.  Just three months later, on September 10, 1945, she was ready to be launched.  She was commissioned and ready to begin her service on March 18, 1946.  She soon sailed to San Diego, California, arriving in July 1946.  While too late to be a part of the war effort, she spent the next four years participating in training operations along the West Coast, in Alaskan waters, and in the Hawaiian Islands.

In August 1947, she entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for an extensive modernization that  lasted nine months.  She was upgraded with a GUPPY II modernization designed to extend her useful life.  By March 1948, the Diodon was ready once again for service.

Beginning in September 1950, the USS Diodon trained frigates in antisubmarine warfare in the Far East and simulated was patrols.  After an overhaul on the West coast in 1951, she spent the rest of the early 1950’s operating there.  She helped to train the Canadian naval air and surface forces.  Except for a tour to the Far East in March, 1954, the Diodon continued these west coast operations for the next two years.

Although she missed the opportunity to participate in World War II since the war had ended by the time she was operational, the Diodon did get to participate in a World War II memorial celebration during her 1956-57 Australian tour of duty.  The ceremony commemorated the Battle of the Coral Sea which took place in May 1942.  Over the next three years, the Diodon returned to the Far East for additional tours of duty.

The USS Diodon’s service ended 25 years later when she was decommissioned on January 15, 1971.  Her name was officially removed from the Navy’s Registry and she was later sold for scrapping.

Asbestos Exposure on the USS Diodon

The shipyard workers at Electric Boat Company were exposed to heavy concentrations of asbestos dust generated when the USS Diodon was built because many types of asbestos insulating products were installed.  When the USS Diodon was overhauled and repaired throughout the years, and especially when it underwent its GUPPY modernization, shipyard worker were exposed to asbestos dust created as the asbestos insulation was removed and replaced so repairs could be made.

While the USS Diodon was at sea, crewmen were exposed to the asbestos dust created when the insulating  materials were disturbed during routine operation and maintenance.  These crewmen were unaware of the dangers of breathing the asbestos dust and even today these veterans remain at risk of contracting mesothelioma as a result of the toxic asbestos on board.