The USS Bass was the first ship of the U.S. Navy to carry this name. It was built by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1921. The submarine, which belonged to the V-boats category, was sponsored by Mrs. Douglas E. Dismukes, wife of Captain Dismukes, and initially had Lieutenant Commander George A. Rood in command. Between World War I and World War II, the submarine was part of Submarine Division 20, which cruised along the Atlantic coast and the Caribbean Sea until 1927. In 1940, the submarine was recommissioned at Portsmouth, New Hampshire as part of Submarine Division 9, Atlantic Fleet. Throughout 1941, it operated along the New England coast and made two visits to St. George, Bermuda. Because it was a very common shipbuilding material, asbestos was also present on the USS Bass, primarily in the form of insulation. Consequently, everyone who served on this submarine was exposed to this hazardous mineral, which is why veterans need to keep a close eye on their health today, as they are at high risk of developing serious diseases such as lung cancer. It is important to know that it takes between 20 and 50 years for a disease to develop as a result of asbestos exposure. In 1945, the USS Bass was scuttled as a sonar target off Block Island.
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