USS Argonaut SM-1

The USS Argonaut was launched in 1927 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, originally named “V-4.” She was the first and only submarine or her type, designed primarily to lay mines. In 1931, the V-4 was renamed Argonaut and redesignated as “SM-1,” with a complement of 78 enlisted men and eight officers.

Sunk Early in World War II
The USS Argonaut received just two battle stars for service in World War II service, because she was sunk by Japanese destroyers relatively early in the war — 1942. Her short term of action was in the South Pacific, and before her demise she was converted into a troop transport submarine (APS-1), at Pearl Harbor.

All of the Crew Killed in Battle
The Argonaut’s home base was eventually transferred to Brisbane, Australia. In early 1943, she was returning to Rabaul in Papua New Guinea and was attacked by Japanese forces. One hundred and five men were killed in the attack — the worst loss of life for a wartime submarine.

Asbestos Components of the USS Argonaut
The U.S. Navy didn’t impose a ban on the use of asbestos on new vessels until 1973, decades after the USS Argonaut was built. It’s estimated that nearly 300 different asbestos-containing materials were routinely used in the construction of Navy ships early in the century.

Asbestos Is Toxic
Asbestos is a carcinogen; that is, it causes cancer. All of the asbestos products used in the construction of ships are potential carcinogens. If a crewmember, a maintenance worker, a shipbuilder, or anyone else comes into contact with airborne asbestos fibers — which are more often than not invisible and undetected — he or she may inadvertently inhale the fibers.

Diseases Caused by Asbestos
Once ingested, asbestos fibers can cause a number of severe respiratory conditions and cancers, including:

 asbestosis
 lung cancer (small-cell and non-small-cell)
 cancer of other organs (e.g., stomach, esophagus)
 mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium, the tissue lining around the lungs)

Find Out More about Asbestos and the USS Argonaut
Learn more about asbestos diseases and the legal rights of the personnel who worked on the Argonaut — contact an asbestos victims’ law firm near you today.