As the second vessel of the United States Navy to be named stingray, the USS Stingray (SS-186) was built in 1936 by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, and launched on 6 October 1937 sponsored by Mrs. Olive G. McLean, widow of Rear Admiral Ridley McLean, who had had a distinguished career in the submarine service, and was commissioned on 15 March 1938 with Lieutenant L. N. Blair in command. Having earned 12 battle stars during World War II, the submarine was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1946 and sold for scrap one year later. Insulation for pipes was made from asbestos cloth. Pipes throughout the USS Stingray (SS-186) were lagged with this cloth, which was then painted. In areas where the lagging could be damaged due to maintenance or repair work, asbestos fibers could be released into the air and distributed freely throughout the ship. Asbestos exposure in the confined environment of a submarine would be nearly impossible to avoid given the amount of asbestos involved.
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