Under the leadership of Commander Thomas. M. Dykers, the USS Jack (SS-259) completed 9 war patrols, out of which only 2 were unsuccessful. It received 7 battle stars, as well as a Presidential Unit Citation. The submarine came to life in 1942, as most Gato-class vessels, and because asbestos was heavily employed in shipbuilding at the time, the carcinogen is very likely to have been present on the USS Jack (SS-259). The submarine was eventually transferred to Greece in 1958 and was sunk as a target by the US 6th Fleet in 1967.
Navy veterans who were exposed to asbestos decades ago are still being diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses all these years later. None of these veterans knew at the time that their lives were at risk, but the companies who employed them were fully aware of the dangers of asbestos exposure. They chose to remain silent about this information in the name of profits, and in the end, it was the veterans who paid.
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