Having won 4 battle stars for World War II service, the submarine was built in 1943 by the Electric Boat Company in Connecticut. It was commissioned in 1944 and temporarily decommissioned 2 years later to undergo conversion to a hunter-killer submarine. In 1969, the vessel was decommissioned and subsequently sunk as a target off California.
Since it was built near the middle of the last century, the USS Bream (SS-243) most likely contained asbestos in the wall insulation, which represented a great health hazard to the people who served on it. Therefore, the veterans who served on this vessel should keep a close eye on their health. Although it’s highly regulated today by both OSHA and EPA, it hasn’t always been. Asbestosis signs and symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest tightness, persistent cough, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fingertips and toes that appear wider and rounder than normal.
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