1942 — Aug 17, submarine USS Bass fire/asphyxiations, Pacific Ocean off Panama–26 of 80

–26 Helgason, Gudmundur. Allied Warships. “Bass (SS-164).” Accessed 4-10-2021 at uboat.net
–26 HonorStates.org. “USS Bass: American Casualties.” Accessed 4-10-2021.
–26 Military.wikia.org. “USS Bass (SS-164).” Accessed 4-10-2021.
–26 On Eternal Patrol. “USS Bass (SS-164).” [Lists the names of 26 fatalities.]
–26 USSvicb.org. “USS Bass (SS-164) Fire in the After Battery.”)
–25 Berg. Wreck Valley Vol. II…Shipwrecks off Long Island’s South Shore… 1990, p. 14.
–25 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. “Bass.” [By asphyxiation. We speculate the
one death by fire was not included.]

Narrative Information

Berg: “U.S.S. Bass. The submarine. U.S.S. Bass, was built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in New Hampshire. She was commissioned on December 27, 1924, as the V-2. The V-2 was 341.5 feet long, 27.6 feet wide and displaced 2,000 tons…It was not until March 9, 1931, that the V-2 was renamed Bass…On August 17, 1942, while attached to the Atlantic Fleet, Submarine Division 31, Squadron 3 and on patrol, a fire broke out in the aft battery room. The fire spread quickly to her aft torpedo room and starboard main motor room, all the time releasing toxic fumes in its path. This disaster resulted in death by asphyxiation of 25 enlisted men out of the Bass’s total crew of 80. The Bass was repaired at the Philadelphia Navy Yard….” (Berg, Daniel. Wreck Valley Vol. II: A Record of Shipwrecks off Long Island’s South Shore and New Jersey. 1990, p. 14).

[A map of locations for vessels discussed in this book on p. vii, shows the location of the Bass as off the eastern top of Long Island – had been taken there and scuttled off Block Island to serve as a sonar target. ]

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: “….During 1942 Bass was attached to Submarine Division 31, Squadron 3, Atlantic Fleet. Between March and August, while based at Coco Solo [Panama Canal Zone, Atlantic Ocean], she made four war patrols in the Pacific, off Balboa [Pacific Ocean side of Panama]. On 17 August 1942, while at sea, a fire broke out in the after battery room and quickly spread to the after torpedo room and starboard main motor, resulting in the death of 25 enlisted men by asphyxiation. The following day Antaeus (AS-21) arrived to assist the submarine and escorted her into the Gulf of Dulce, Costa Rica [on Pacific Ocean]. Both vessels then proceeded to Balboa.

“Bass remained In the Canal Zone until October 1942 when she departed for Philadelphia, arriving on the 19th. After undergoing repairs at Philadelphia Navy Yard Bass proceeded to New London, Conn., where she conducted secret experiments off B lock Island in December 1943. She was again in Philadelphia Yard for repairs from January to March 1944. During the remainder of the year she was attached to Submarine Squadron 1, Atlantic Fleet, and operated out of New London in the area between Long Island and Block Island. Bass was decommissioned at the Submarine Base New London 3 March 1945 and “destroyed” 12 March 1945.” (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. “Bass I (SF-5)” webpage dated 2-27-2006 accessed 4-10-2021.)

On Eternal Patrol: “The following men [26 names listed] were lost in a fire aboard while serving on USS Bass (SS-164). The submarine was later returned to limited service.”

USSvicb.org: “This is a recollection of a fire on the USS Bass (SS-164)told by BMC(SS) Jack Stevenson who served on her from 1940 till 1943….

“In the summer of 1942 the USS Bass (SS-164) was deployed on her fourth war patrol from her base in Coco Solo, Panama. In the early morning of 17August, 1942 with her batteries fully charged she made a trim dive. The electrician was taking readings in the after battery when he heard a gurgling noise coming from the battery blower. He shined his flashlight on the blower and saw smoke coming from the intake. He immediately shouted ‘Fire in the After Battery’ and turned on the lights to alert the crew in the berthing area directly above the after battery. Battery’s in the forward end of the compartment started exploding so he headed forward to the maneuvering room and sealing the compartment but shutting and dogging the watertight doors behind him. There were about 16 men sleeping in the crew’s quarters above the after battery and crew members were furiously attempting to wake them and send them aft. There was heavy smoke and fire in the after battery and the men evacuated the compartment heading to the after torpedo room. 2 remaining men evacuated the compartment through the fire to maneuvering room and continued to the control room to assist in damage control efforts. A single sailor was left not noticed and remained in the After Battery. The ship started to blow fuel overboard and blew the ballast tanks to surface the boat. A rough ride to the surface ensued as the Bass had an unusual profile, with a bulbous, shark-like bow which was intended to add reserve buoyancy—a design which proved a miserable failure, as the “B” class submarines proved to be very poor sea keepers. Heavy smoke spread throughout the ship and crewmembers had donned Breathing Apparatus known as RBAs. After surfacing the Commanding Officer, LCDR Anthony Dropp had the bridge manned and ordered the After Torpedo Room loading hatch opened to evacuate the crew. When the hatch was opened a lot of pressure was released due to the heavy smoke and fire in the aft compartments. Two crewmembers went into the After Torpedo Room and started dragging men to the bottom of the ladder were they were brought topside. A rotation of me was employed due to the heavy smoke, fire and high temperatures in the After Torpedo Room. A total of 27 men were evacuated and given artificial respiration and oxygen for several hours, but only two men were revived. Another sailor who was trapped in the After Battery was discovered after the fire was brought under control.

“The boat was finally able to contact Pearl Harbor and was ordered to proceed back through the canal to Costa Rica. The 26 deceased men were brought below and placed in a small berthing compartment above the generators in the forward engine room. The next day the submarine tender Antaeus (AS-21) moored with the boat removed the deceased and replenished our CO2….” (USSvicb.org. “USS Bass (SS-164) Fire in the After Battery.”)

Sources

Berg, Daniel. Wreck Valley Vol. II: A Record of Shipwrecks off Long Island’s South Shore and New Jersey. Wahoo Edition. East Rockaway, NY: Aqua Explorers, Inc. 1990.

Helgason, Gudmundur. Allied Warships. “Bass (SS-164).” Uboat.net. Accessed 4-10-2021 at: https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2954.html

HonorStates.org. “USS Bass: American Casualties.” Accessed 4-10-2021 at: https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?page=features&tid=1031

On Eternal Patrol. “USS Bass (SS-164).” Accessed 4-10-2021 at: http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-bass-164.htm

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. “Bass I (SF-5)” webpage dated 2-27-2006 accessed 4-10-2021 at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/bass-i.html

USSvicb.org. “USS Bass (SS-164) Fire in the After Battery.” Accessed 4-10-2021 at: https://ussvicb.org/poems-stories/USS%20Bass%20_SS-164_%20Fire.pdf