Free Info Packet

Contact us for free information on Mesothelioma, legal assistance and other asbestos-related diseases.

Note: The use of the Internet for communications with the firm will not establish an attorney-client relationship and messages containing confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent. I agree that submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship and that the information I am providing may be used to check for conflicts of interest to determine if the firm can assist me with my legal inquiry. I Agree:* ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Privacy Protected Privacy protected. All information held in the strictest confidence.
Military Veteran: James W. Comstock, Major General, AUS (Ret.). About Me »
Military Veteran: Phillip R. Kraus, Command Sergeant Major (USA Ret.) About Me »
Featured Expert: Daniel Powers, M.D.  Board Certified Diagnostic Radiologist.  Learn More
Mesothelioma: 12 Essential Facts

USS Bergall SS-320

The USS Bergall SS-320 was the first U.S. Navy vessel to be named for the bergall, a fish found off the New England coast. A Balao-class submarine, the Bergall was built by the General Dynamics/ Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut and launched in 1944.

Four Battle Stars in WWII
The Bergall received four battle stars for her World War II service. She sank a frigate and two merchant ships over the course of five war patrols at sites such as:

South China Sea
Java Sea
Lombok Strait
the Malay Barrier

Extensive Damages
With a crew of 70 enlisted men and 10 officers, the Bergall was damaged by a naval mine and retired to Subic Bay in the Philippines for emergency repairs during the summer of 1945. The Bergall then went to the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine for further repairs.

Sold to Turkey
The USS Bergall then served in both the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets until her decommissioning in 1958. She was later sold to the government of Turkey and removed from the Naval Vessel Register in 1973.

Asbestos Components of the USS Bergall
The U.S. Navy rushed to build submarines and ships of many other types when the U.S. entered World War II. The Navy fleet grew by 17-fold between 1939 and 1945, and several million workers were involved in building all of these vessels at naval and civilian shipyards.

Few Asbestos Precautions
The USS Bergall was constructed at the peak of the WWII production years. Few — if any — precautions were taken to protect workers and crew from toxic levels of asbestos. Thousands of submarine builders and crew members were probably exposed to asbestos that could eventually ruin their health, by way of diseases such as:

asbestosis
mesothelioma
lung cancer
cancer in other organs

Navy Submarine Vets and Shipyard Workers
If you or your loved one might have had any contact with excessive asbestos on the USS Bergall, contact a law firm in your area that represents asbestos victims. Learn more about asbestos diseases and your legal rights.