The USS Deimos (AK-78) was a cargo ship, part of the Crater-class that served the US Navy during World War II. The ship was laid down in November 1942, as liberty ship “SS Hugh McCulloch”, later converted and renamed “SS Chief Ouray", in Richmond California under a MARCOM contract. The Deimos was transferred to the Navy to be commissioned in January 1943 with Lieutenant Commander Walter L. Sorenson in command. The vessel carried cargo from San Francisco to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, and Townsville Australia. On 23 June 1943, while returning to base after delivering cargo to Guadalcanal, the USS Deimos was hit by a torpedo, abandoned and sunk by gunfire from the O’Bannon (DD-450). The vessel received 1 battle star for its World War II service. Unfortunately, like for all US Navy ships constructed before the 1980s, many asbestos-containing materials were used in the building process of the USS Deimos. The toxic material was used in nearly every part of the ship. Engine and boiler rooms, mess halls, sleeping quarters and other common areas all contained asbestos. This caused many veterans to later develop mesothelioma and other serious asbestos-related conditions.
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