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Service History
From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›
USS Tigrone (SS-419), a Tench-class submarine, was laid down in May 1944 and commissioned in October of that year. She completed three war patrols in the Pacific Theater from March to August 1945, conducting lifeguard operations, engaging enemy aircraft and vessels, and performing bombardment missions; she rescued a total of 58 aviators across her patrols and claimed to have conducted the final naval bombardment of World War II on 13 August 1945. Decommissioned in March 1946, she was reclassified as a radar picket submarine (SSR-419) in 1948 and recommissioned in November 1948.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
Portsmouth Navy Yard
Laid down
1944-05-08
Launched
1944-07-20
Commissioned
1944-10-25
Decommissioned
1946-03-30
Notable Tours / Service Eras
WWII Pacific Theater 1945
Combat Actions
First War Patrol — South China Sea lifeguard and bombardment· 1945-03 to 1945-04 Lifeguard duties; bombardment of Pratas Reef and Batan Island
Second War Patrol — Philippine Sea lifeguard operations· 1945-05 to 1945-07 Lifeguard duties; engagement with Japanese lugger
Third War Patrol — Final bombardment off Japan· 1945-07 to 1945-08 Lifeguard duties; bombardment of Mikomoto Island (13 August 1945)
Home Ports & Forward Bases
Pearl Harbor — training and patrol preparation, February 1945
Iwo Jima — lifeguard operations base, May–June 1945
Tokyo Bay — occupation operations, August–September 1945
New London — homeport, October 1945 and post-war reserve
Drydock & Overhaul Periods
High Asbestos-Exposure Window
Portsmouth Navy Yard· 1948-06 conversion to radar picket submarine (SSR-419)
Asbestos rip-out, insulation replacement, and gasket-packing work occurred during these yard periods. Sailors aboard during overhauls had peak exposure to airborne asbestos fiber.
Notable Incidents
24 March 1945 — USS Seahorse (sister submarine) mistakenly strafed and bombed by B-24 Liberator in Tigrone's task group
29 March 1945 — Tigrone bombed by enemy aircraft over forward battery compartment in South China Sea; no damage sustained
5 April 1945 — Tigrone evaded bomb dropped by high-flying Japanese aircraft
8 April 1945 — Tigrone evaded enemy submarine torpedo, passing 60 yards to port; rigged for silent running over two hours
27 May 1945 — Tigrone engaged Japanese lugger; three crewmen injured by heavy seas during gunfire exchange
May–June 1945 — Second patrol: Tigrone rescued 30 aviators during lifeguard operations, including five from downed Navy bomber and 16 from PBY Catalina
13 August 1945 — Tigrone bombarded Mikomoto Island with 11 hits on radio station and lighthouse; claimed as final bombardment of WWII
Final Disposition
Recommissioned 1 November 1948 as radar picket submarine (SSR-419)
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Tigrone? This submarine carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Tigrone, hull number SS-419, was a submarine, built by Portsmouth Navy Yard and commissioned in 1944. She served through WWII Pacific Theater. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Tigrone, SS-419 — insulated and sealed with asbestos. Each shipyard overhaul and major repair meant asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced — peak-exposure work for the yard workers and the crew aboard. Exposure was worst in the engineering spaces, where the snipes worked — but asbestos lined the whole ship, so all hands were exposed. The companies that made the asbestos equipment aboard — not the Navy — are who asbestos claims are brought against. According to asbestos litigation records, the equipment aboard the USS Tigrone from makers such as General Electric allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Tigrone and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the companies that made the asbestos products used aboard your ship. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
USS Tigrone (SS-419) is a documented U.S. Navy submarine. The equipment reference below was extracted from the publicly-available Wikipedia article on this vessel, which cites the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) — the U.S. Navy’s official ship-history publication maintained by the Naval History and Heritage Command.
Equipment Reference
Equipment Manifest — USS Tigrone (SS-419). 2 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
Fleet-boat-propulsion-late-FM-2-GE template per Wikipedia DANFS infobox
Source: this equipment reference was extracted from public Wikipedia/DANFS records for USS Tigrone (SS-419). These are secondary-source records — not primary BUSHIPS design documents. For litigation purposes, this data is a starting point; a ship-specific BUSHIPS Material Inspection Report or commissioning book would provide gold-standard verification.
The asbestos-containing products documented on U.S. Navy vessels and at shipyards are catalogued by manufacturer on AsbestosIndex. These records cross-reference which companies supplied which materials and to which facilities.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Tigrone
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the public asbestos litigation record document that the following Navy ratings worked routinely in spaces where ACM was installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced:
Fireman (FN) — engineering-plant tending across boiler and engine rooms
VA Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.
Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.
How to file a VA disability claim: VA claims are filed directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — not with a law firm. Start at VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or get free help filing from a Veterans Service Organization: DAV, VFW, or American Legion.
Source notes: equipment-manifest entries (where shown) are sourced from public-record BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation, NARA archives, and the public asbestos litigation record. Manufacturer attributions link to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Nothing on this page constitutes medical or legal advice.
Documented Asbestos-Exposure Environments — U.S. Navy Service
Public-domain U.S. Navy photographs illustrating the engineering spaces, ratings, and yard environments where asbestos materials were routinely encountered during normal duty.
All images are public domain (U.S. Government works). Specific photographs depict generic Navy engineering and yard environments — not the named vessel above. Asbestos materials shown or implied include pipe lagging, boiler insulation, steam-line covering, and gasket / packing materials standard on U.S. Navy vessels through the early 1980s.
Tigrone SS-419 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Tigrone SS-419 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Tigrone SS-419 is documented in the public U.S. Navy asbestos litigation record. U.S. Navy vessels of her service era were built to BUSHIPS specifications that required asbestos insulation throughout engineering spaces, on steam lines, around boilers and turbines, and in gasket and packing materials.
Which shipboard components on Tigrone SS-419 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Tigrone SS-419's era include: boiler insulation and lagging, steam-line pipe insulation, turbine and reduction-gear casings, valve packing, gaskets, brake and clutch friction materials, electrical wire insulation, overhead pipe coverings in berthing and mess spaces, and Navy-issue boiler cement and refractory in fireboxes.
What ratings were exposed to asbestos serving on Tigrone SS-419?
Navy ratings with the highest documented asbestos exposure include Machinist's Mate (MM), Boiler Technician (BT), Hull Maintenance Technician (HT), Engineman (EN), Electrician's Mate (EM), Interior Communications Electrician (IC), Damage Controlman (DC), and Pipefitter / Shipfitter. Officers in engineering departments also encountered asbestos in normal duty. Shipyard workers performing overhaul, repair, or refit work had concentrated exposure during yard periods.
What equipment manufacturers are documented on Tigrone SS-419?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Tigrone SS-419 include: Fairbanks-Morse, General Electric. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Tigrone SS-419 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Tigrone SS-419 veterans generally need medical records showing the current disease, service records supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a doctor's statement connecting the two. Veterans may file at VA.gov, call 1-800-827-1000, or seek free help from an accredited Veterans Service Organization such as DAV, VFW, or the American Legion.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site. References to ships, shipyards, companies, products, and asbestos-containing materials are drawn from public VA records, NARA archives, EPA/OSHA databases, and public litigation records. All references reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed records. Consult a licensed physician for medical guidance and a qualified attorney for legal advice regarding your specific situation.
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