Like many other Navy veterans, officers and crew members who served on the USS San Jose (AFS-7) are at risk of developing mesothelioma from shipboard asbestos exposure. Built by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, the San Jose was a Mars class combat stores ship that had multiple deployments between her commissioning in 1970 and being deactivated in 2010.
About the USS San Jose
The USS San Jose was one of several Mars class ships built by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego in the 1960s. Designated AFS-7, she served as a supply ship with the capacity to accommodate helicopters and accomplish quick supply transfers using an autonomous shuttle transfer system. All of the Mars class ships were named for American resorts or historic towns or cities. The San Jose was the last of the seven ships of this class to be constructed.[1]
Like other ships built during this time, and particularly those constructed to the specifications of the Navy, the USS San Jose contained a significant amount of asbestos materials. The toxic mineral was used to insulate pipes and boilers and to strengthen many other shipboard components and supplies. Before its dangers were known, asbestos was highly prized by the military for its characteristic strength and fireproofing capabilities.
The San Jose was part of the Navy fleet from the time it was commissioned in 1970 until 1993, serving in both the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War. IT WAS the first combat stores ship of the Pacific Fleet Service Force to receive the U-1500 computer system. In 1993, it was transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC), a separate organization under the U.S. Navy that controls both replenishment and ocean transportation and sealift for all U.S. military services and other government agencies. As part of the MSC fleet, the San Jose was redesignated USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7) and was deployed as part of the peacekeeping task force following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It also supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.[1]
The San Jose displaced more than 17,000 tons when full and was 581 feet long. It had a cargo capacity of approximately 7,000 tons in five holds, as well as hangar space for two UH-46 helicopters. The vessel could reach speeds of 20 knots and carried a complement of 49 Navy personnel and 124 civilian merchant seamen.
Construction and Later Upgrades
Construction of the USS San Jose began on March 8, 1969, at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California. The ship was christened by Mrs. Melissa E. Ellis after her mother, Mrs. Juliette H. Murphy, wife of Senator George L. Murphy of California, sponsored the ship. It was launched on December 13, 1969, and commissioned at Long Beach Naval Shipyard in California in October 1970 under the command of Captain James H. Morris.
Its propulsion came from three 580 psi Babcock & Wilcox boilers and a De Laval Turbine single shaft. It carried two UH-47 Sea Knight helicopters and was the first combat stores ship of the Pacific Fleet Service Force to receive the U-1500 computer system.
USS San Jose (ATS-7) Service and Deployment History
The USS San Jose served for approximately forty years. Its first operation was as part of the Pacific Fleet Service Force, including a short cruise from San Diego to Acapulco, Mexico, to recover a Mexican fishing boat that had capsized with no crew or passengers on board. The San Jose turned the boat over to Mexican authorities in Acapulco. The ship’s historian also recorded a maiden voyage to Oakland, California, during which she carried families, pets, and cars to Oakland, California.[1]
The ship’s first deployment came in 1971 when it sailed in September to the Western Pacific to provide support in the Vietnam War effort. The ship returned in 1972 and set sail again later that year to provide supplies during a minesweeping operation in North Vietnamese waters. The ship delivered 274 tons of cargo to sixteen ships and aviation squadrons, earning three battle stars for her service.[1]
In the 1980s and 1990s, the ship was deployed to Guam to support the Seventh Fleet, and in 1990 was deployed to support operations during the Persian Gulf War. The ship was decommissioned as part of the U.S. Navy and placed in service with the Military Sealift Command (MSC) in November 1993.[1]
In 2004, it was deployed as part of a multinational relief effort to Indonesia following a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people. The ship’s specific role was to provide logistics support to the manned hospital ship Mercy.[1]
What Happened to the USS San Jose (ATS-7)?
After serving as part of the Military Sealift Command for 17 years, the USS San Jose was inactivated in January 2010 and transferred to the custody of the Maritime Administration. It was towed from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to Brownsville, Texas, in December 2012 and had been dismantled by All Star Metals, LLC by October 2013.
Did the USS San Jose Expose Navy Veterans to Asbestos?
The USS San Jose was constructed by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), a shipyard and shipbuilding company that was named in hundreds of mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease lawsuits for having exposed shipyard workers and seamen, including Navy veterans, to asbestos. The ship was constructed using asbestos in many of its most important areas and infrastructure assets, including its boiler and engine room.
In addition to insulation within heat-generating equipment, the San Jose’s construction included many components that contained asbestos for added strength, durability, and fireproofing. Pipes that carried steam and hot water through the vessel were insulated with asbestos coatings, and equipment contained asbestos gaskets, valves, and sealants. Even the flooring and ceiling materials within the ship’s decks, ropes, and protective clothing contained asbestos.
Who Was at Risk for Asbestos Exposure on the USS San Jose?
When the U.S. military specified that asbestos be included in the construction of Navy ships, it did so because it meant for the material to protect both the service members onboard the ship and the ships themselves. Though the War Department was unaware of the dangers of asbestos, the same cannot be said of many of the asbestos companies that supplied the contaminated equipment to the military. Those companies have been named in thousands of personal injury lawsuits that have accused them of prioritizing their profits over people’s health; many of those lawsuits have led to million-dollar verdicts benefitting afflicted Navy veterans and their families, and dozens of the asbestos companies were driven into bankruptcy by their asbestos liabilities.
Both service members and civilians were exposed to asbestos on the USS San Jose. Those who were at the greatest risk worked directly with the material, building the ship and repairing and maintaining the heat-generating equipment in the boiler and engine rooms, but many others onboard were exposed to the carcinogenic fiber as it broke down and became airborne over the ship’s years in service.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled, the invisible microscopic particles can become embedded in the lining of the cavity that holds the lungs and abdominal organs and can lead to cell death, scarring, genetic changes within the cell, and the growth of mesothelioma and lung cancer tumors.
On the USS San Jose, the Navy veterans who were most at risk worked in the engine room, which was a small, poorly ventilated space where asbestos was frequently disturbed by engine room and boiler room workers. Others at significant risk included the machinist mates and others responsible for maintenance and repairs on the ship.
Veteran from the USS San Jose Files Lawsuit Over Asbestos Illness
Though it is unknown how many of those who served onboard the USS San Jose were later sickened with an asbestos-related disease, one such victim was Michael Harris, a hull maintenance technician who served on the ship in the early 1970s. After Mr. Harris’ death from malignant mesothelioma, his widow and children filed a wrongful death claim and survival claims against a machine shop that they said had spread asbestos throughout his work environment during ship maintenance.
Can USS San Jose Veterans Seek Compensation?
Navy veterans are unable to file lawsuits against the military for their service-based exposure to asbestos, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have options for compensation. The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a mechanism for those who served on the USS San Jose and who were sickened by asbestos to receive both disability compensation and high-quality medical benefits through either the Veterans Administration (VA) or other specialty mesothelioma treatment centers.
If you are a veteran with mesothelioma or any other asbestos illnesses, you are also able to seek compensation from the asbestos companies whose negligence led to their illnesses. You are encouraged to meet with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to learn about the options available to you. These include filing a claim against the many asbestos trust funds that have been set up by these companies, as well as pursuing a personal injury lawsuit against asbestos manufacturers that remain solvent.
An experienced lawyer has extensive resources and staff that will be able to review your exposure history both while you served aboard the USS San Jose and in the years after to maximize your compensation. They will also advise you of the deadline, known as the statute of limitations, that applies to your case.
If you haven’t been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after serving on the USS San Jose, you are still at risk. Make sure that you notify your doctor of your exposure history so that they can regularly screen you for disease and act quickly should symptoms arise.
