USS Ponchatoula (AOG-38) Areas With Asbestos Exposure

The USS Ponchatoula (AOG-38) was a Mettawee-class gasoline tanker laid down on June 7, 1944, and launched on July 30, the same year. It was commissioned on October 6, 1944, under Lt. W. G. Peyton’s command with the hull number AOG-38 and it served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on April 24, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 62 people on board and had its main missions in the Netherlands West Indies, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Canton Island, Ulithi, Okinawa, Hagushi, Kerama Retto, and Mare Island. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on May 31, 1946.

Until the early 1980s asbestos was used in hundreds of products that posed serious health risks for the U.S. Navy veterans working in their close proximity. If your health was affected by the asbestos exposure you were subjected to while serving in the U.S. Navy, you may be eligible for compensation from asbestos trust funds and VA claims.