The USS Seawolf was a Sargo-class submarine laid down on September 27, 1938, and launched on August 15, the following year. It was commissioned on December 1, 1939, under Lt. Frederick B. Warder’s command with the hull number SS-197 and it served in the US Navy for 5 years before it was sunk on October 3, 1944, near Morotai. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 59 people on board and had the main missions in San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Formosa, Brisbane, Nagasaki, Tawitawi, and the Palau Islands. For the service brought to the country during World War II, the USS Seawolf received 13 battle stars.
Unfortunately, all vessels built before the 1970s were laden with asbestos-containing materials. This was before the dangers of asbestos exposure became widely known so the toxic material was used in abundance with more than 300 asbestos-containing materials being used aboard U.S. Navy ships. This caused many veterans to later develop mesothelioma and other serious asbestos-related conditions. This makes the Navy veterans who got sick because of military asbestos exposure eligible for free health care, disability compensation, and other VA benefits.