The USS Brill (SS-330) had a relatively brief career as a U.S. Navy Balao-class submarine — from October 1944 to May 1948. Named after a European flat-fish, the Brill still served admirably, earning one battle star. She was constructed by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, and launched in June 1944.
Three World War II Patrols, One Vessel Damaged
The USS Brill performed three war patrols in the Gulf of Siam and the South China Sea, and damaged a 1000-ton, unidentified ship. In the fall of 1945, the Brill arrived in Subic Bay in the Philippines, and later went to Pearl Harbor for repairs. Cruises to the Midway Islands, Alaska, and Puget Sound, Washington followed.
Overhaul, Conversion, Transfer to the Turkish Navy
An overhaul at San Francisco Naval Shipyard was soon followed by decommissioning in May 1948. The Brill was transferred to Turkey, and converted to a GUPPY (Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program) Fleet Snorkel submarine at both Turkish and U.S. shipyards.
The USS Brill and Its Asbestos Components
Millions of American workers contributed to the rush to build equipment for the war effort, including Navy submarines and other vessels. Inadequate precautions to protect these workers from the dangers of asbestos were the standard. Asbestos products were used in both the construction of Navy ships and in the ships themselves.
Hundreds of Asbestos Ship Components
Unfortunately, the Navy’s use of fire- and friction-retardant asbestos in hundreds of its ship components has caused thousands of cases of asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma (cancer of the tissue lining in the chest cavity — the mesothelium). The shipyard occupations that have shown high asbestos exposure include:
 blacksmiths
 boilermakers
 electricians
 furnace technicians
 insulation workers
 iron workers
 machinists
 metal lathers
 pipe fitters
 plasterers
 plumbers
 rubber workers
 sanders
 sheetmetal workers
 steamfitters
 welders
 woodworkers
The crew members of the USS Brill were also at risk of inhaling asbestos inside the submarine. Contact an asbestos lawyer if you are concerned about asbestos exposure that you or your family member may have incurred in the 1940s or later.
