Originally named Neptune, the USS Howard W. Gilmore AS-16 was a Fulton-class submarine tender, launched in 1943 and commissioned in 1944. After shakedown training in San Diego, California, and a trip to Pearl Harbor, the vessel arrived at Majuro Atoll in 1944. For the following four months, she began her vital tending duties, making voyage repairs on submarines, replenishing them, and helping train crewmen and repairmen. Returning to Pearl Harbor in 1945, the ship transported replacement crews for Australia-based submarines and supplies for bases in the Philippines. Between 1946 and 1961, she served in Submarine Squadron 4 and stayed in Florida for most of the next 13 years, servicing submarines on their training and readiness duties. The vessel entered Charleston Naval Shipyard in 1961 for Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization Overhaul (FRAM) and was fitted for servicing nuclear submarines. Between 1962 and 1980, she serviced two squadrons of submarines for Caribbean operations and departed for her new homeport in Italy, where she stayed until decommissioning in 1980. The USS Howard W. Gilmore was scrapped in 2006. Those who served aboard the vessel faced a high risk of exposure to asbestos, a toxic material present in most parts of the ship.
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