The USS Simon Lake (AS-33) was a submarine tender and the lead ship of her class. The ship provided logistical and repair support to the United States Navy’s submarine fleet for over three decades, representing the Navy’s commitment to its undersea warfare capabilities. Like countless other naval vessels of her era, the USS Simon Lake was constructed using dangerous quantities of asbestos that exposed her crew members to the potential of developing mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other serious health conditions.
The Ship’s Namesake
The USS Simon Lake was named in honor of American mechanical engineer and naval architect Simon Lake. Lake was a prolific inventor, and his innovations fundamentally shaped submarine design and technology.
In 1894, Lake created his first submarine, the Argonaut Junior, in response to a U.S. Navy call for submarine designs. Neither this vessel nor his subsequent Protector design won a Navy contract, but he sold Protector to the Russian Imperial Navy in 1904 and designed submarines for the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1904 and 1914. In 1912, he established the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, which produced 24 submarines for the United States Navy during World War I.
Lake invented the even-keel type submarine design, which provided superior stability and control, and developed apparatus for locating and recovering sunken vessels and their cargoes. His submarine USS G-1 (SS-19½) achieved a depth record in 1912, reaching 256 feet and demonstrating the potential for deeper diving operations. By the time of his death in 1945, Lake held over 200 patents related to submarine engineering and components.footnote num=”1″]
History of the USS Simon Lake
Following a Navy decision to develop modern submarine support vessels capable of servicing sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines, the USS Simon Lake’s keel was laid in January 1963 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. The vessel was launched in February 1964 and, following a fitting-out period to install complex support systems, repair equipment, and maintenance facilities, was commissioned in November. She measured 643.7 feet long with an 85-foot beam and 30-foot draft, displacing approximately 20,000 tons. Powered by two boilers driving steam turbines connected to a single shaft and propeller, she could achieve speeds of 18 knots. Her armament consisted of four 20mm guns for defensive purposes, and she carried a complement of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel.[2]
Operational Service History
Early Operations and Atlantic Fleet Service
After commissioning, the USS Simon Lake departed Bremerton in January 1965 for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to conduct her shakedown cruise. After returning to Bremerton to address minor deficiencies, she sailed through the Panama Canal to Charleston, South Carolina, arriving in May 1965 to begin her duties as submarine tender for the Atlantic submarine fleet. For the next year, the tender serviced submarines alongside, conducting repairs, providing parts and supplies, and supporting the operational readiness of the Navy’s undersea forces.
Holy Loch Deployment and Squadron 14 Support
In July 1966, the USS Simon Lake sailed for Holy Loch, Scotland, where she relieved USS Hunley (AS-31) as Site One tender for Submarine Squadron 14. This deployment positioned her to support ballistic missile submarines operating in the North Atlantic as part of America’s strategic deterrence posture during the Cold War. The ship operated there for nearly four years, with her crew conducting an average of 45 submarine and surface ship availabilities a year, consisting of over 5,000 vital repair jobs each year. In May 1970, she returned to Bremerton for her first major overhaul since commissioning.
Overhaul and Poseidon Conversion
The USS Simon Lake underwent an extensive overhaul from July 1970 through March 1971. During this period, she was also converted to Poseidon missile capability, receiving specialized equipment, tools, and facilities necessary for maintaining the sophisticated missile systems. The ship returned to Charleston in April 1971 and resumed her submarine tender duties, serving the Atlantic fleet until being deployed to Rota, Spain, in December 1972 for four years to support submarines operating in the Mediterranean Sea and European waters. In January 1977, the ship returned to Charleston to undergo another complex overhaul.[2]
Kings Bay Operations and Battle Efficiency Recognition
In July 1979, Simon Lake relocated to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, where she became the first tender at the newly established submarine refit site. This assignment placed her at the forefront of developing the major submarine base. Her outstanding repair work and operational excellence during this period resulted in receiving the prestigious Battle Efficiency “E” awards for 1982, 1984, and 1985—recognition of superior performance among submarine tenders.[2]
In August 1985, she conducted a homeport change to Pascagoula, Mississippi, to undergo another major overhaul. After this extensive maintenance period, she returned to Charleston in October 1986, where she conducted routine upkeeps and continued supporting submarine operations.
Return to Holy Loch and Cold War’s End
The USS Simon Lake returned to Holy Loch in May 1987. She was the last United States submarine tender to serve there, remaining until March 1992, when the fall of the Berlin Wall and the decline of the Soviet threat made forward-deployed tenders in Scotland unnecessary. During her time there, Simon Lake steamed an average of 350 days per year.
Norfolk Overhaul and Mediterranean Assignment
In March 1992, Simon Lake was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, for an extensive overhaul that lasted until March 1993. She then departed for her new homeport of La Maddalena, Italy, where she was converted from a ballistic missile submarine tender to an attack submarine tender, reflecting the Navy’s shifting operational requirements in the post-Cold War era.
Operation Southern Watch, Final Deployment, and Decommissioning
In March 1998, the USS Simon Lake transited the Suez Canal and Red Sea to the United Arab Emirates, where she supported Operation Southern Watch in the Arabian Gulf. In June 1998, she returned to La Maddalena, Italy, where she continued serving as the resident submarine tender. In May 1999, she returned to Norfolk, Virginia, for decommissioning after 35 years of providing comprehensive logistical and repair support for submarines and surface ships. The USS Simon Lake was decommissioned in July 1999. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in April 2006, then underwent decontamination procedures between 2011 and 2015 to remove hazardous materials, including asbestos and other toxic substances accumulated during her operational lifetime. She was sold for scrapping in 2019.
Asbestos Use Aboard the USS Simon Lake
From the early 20th century through the mid-1970s, the U.S. Navy incorporated asbestos-containing materials into nearly every vessel built or modernized for its fleet. The mineral was considered essential for safety and because of its heat resistance, fire protection, insulation capability, and durability. These characteristics made it seem ideal for naval applications, particularly aboard complex vessels like submarine tenders, which presented particularly challenging operational environments requiring extensive fire protection and thermal insulation.
Submarine tenders were specialized boats that housed machine shops, welding facilities, boiler rooms, electrical systems, and countless mechanical components, all of which generated significant heat and fire risks. Asbestos’s fibrous structure and resistance to heat and flame made it appear perfectly suited for these demanding applications.
The Risk Posed by Shipboard Asbestos
Scientists began reporting the severe health consequences of asbestos exposure in the mid-20th century, but this information was suppressed by industrial interests for years, and military specifications continued requiring the material well into the 1970s. The Navy only began restricting asbestos in new construction around 1973, well past the time that the USS Simon Lake was built. This meant that sailors who served on or conducted repairs on the ship were exposed to legacy asbestos materials included in her original build. Additionally, many of the submarines that the ship serviced also contained asbestos-containing materials, creating further exposure for those on the ship.
The Navy eventually established detailed protocols for managing asbestos aboard operational vessels, including material assessments, specialized training programs, and rigorous handling procedures. However, complete elimination was deemed impractical for ships already in service. Instead, containment and oversight became standard practice until contaminated vessels could be retired. While this approach may have made operational and economic sense, it resulted in continued asbestos exposure for crew members and shipyard workers over many additional years.
Asbestos Distribution Throughout the Tender
Navy specifications required asbestos wherever thermal protection, fire prevention, or insulation was necessary. On a submarine tender, this meant the toxic material was integrated throughout virtually every compartment and system. Though certain areas presented significantly higher exposure risks due to direct contact with asbestos-containing materials and activities that disturbed these substances, the extensive distribution throughout the vessel created hazardous conditions that were nearly impossible to escape.
The shipboard areas that represented the greatest risk of asbestos exposure included:
Engineering Spaces and Boiler Rooms
The ship’s propulsion plant, including boiler rooms, machinery spaces, and auxiliary equipment areas, contained extensive thermal insulation and fire protection made with asbestos, and the material was used to insulate steam lines, exhaust systems, and equipment. Crew members assigned to boiler rooms helped install lagging—asbestos-containing insulation—to steam lines, requiring direct handling of the toxic material. Valves, pumps, flanges, and fittings, as well as turbine components, reduction gear housings, and associated equipment, all relied on asbestos for thermal protection.
Repair and Workshop Facilities
As a submarine tender, the USS Simon Lake contained extensive repair facilities, including machine shops, welding spaces, electrical workshops, and specialized maintenance areas. These facilities were equipped with asbestos-containing floor tiles, wall panels, and ceiling materials for fire protection. Workbench surfaces utilized asbestos-containing materials, and protective equipment included asbestos gloves and aprons. Welding operations generated additional exposure.
Living and Berthing Spaces
Despite being far removed from engineering and industrial areas, crew living quarters suffered significant asbestos contamination. In addition to floor tiles throughout berthing compartments, mess decks, asbestos particles were transported into living areas on the clothing, hair, and skin of crew members who worked in more heavily contaminated sections of the ship.
Electrical and Electronic Systems
Wire insulation, cable wrapping, distribution panel components, switchboard materials, circuit breaker housings, and emergency equipment aboard the Simon Lake utilized asbestos for fire protection and electrical insulation. Electronics technicians and electricians working on these systems regularly disturbed asbestos materials during maintenance, repairs, and troubleshooting activities.
Ventilation and Environmental Control Systems
The ship’s ventilation networks distributed conditioned air throughout the vessel, but asbestos insulation on ductwork and asbestos-containing filtration components meant these systems also circulated toxic fibers. Particles were released through normal system operation, maintenance activities, and material aging, constantly exposing crew members throughout the ship.
Structural Components
Beyond specific systems and equipment, asbestos was incorporated into the vessel’s basic structure. Bulkhead insulation, overhead insulation, deck tiles, pipe penetrations and transits, cable penetrations through bulkheads, and protective coatings throughout the ship all contained asbestos. Crew members encountered potential exposure wherever they were assigned and regardless of their specific duties.
Personnel at Greatest Risk
Every sailor serving aboard the USS Simon Lake faced asbestos exposure risks. The material’s widespread presence throughout the vessel meant microscopic asbestos particles were constantly present in the atmosphere, disturbed by maintenance activities, equipment operation, and routine daily tasks. However, certain ratings and duties faced substantially elevated exposure due to their responsibilities and work environments. These included:
Boiler Technicians and Firemen
Personnel assigned to the ship’s boiler rooms worked in environments with some of the heaviest asbestos concentrations. Boiler technicians, fireman apprentices, and other engineering personnel regularly handled asbestos-containing materials, operating and maintaining boilers that were wrapped in asbestos insulation. They serviced steam systems with asbestos-insulated pipes, replaced asbestos gaskets and packing materials, and worked in spaces where asbestos materials surrounded them constantly.
Machinery Repairmen and Hull Technicians
These specialists maintained the ship’s mechanical systems, repair facilities, and structural components. Their duties required cutting, grinding, and removing asbestos-containing insulation during equipment repairs, fabricating and installing asbestos gaskets and packing materials, conducting welding and hot work near asbestos insulation, and performing maintenance throughout the ship’s asbestos-contaminated spaces.
Electricians and Electronics Technicians
Electrical specialists worked with asbestos-containing electrical components throughout the vessel. Their responsibilities included installing and repairing wire and cable insulation containing asbestos, servicing distribution panels with asbestos components, maintaining switchboards and circuit breakers incorporating asbestos materials, and conducting troubleshooting activities that disturbed asbestos in electrical systems.
Damage Control and Shipfitter Personnel
Damage control crews and shipfitters maintained structural integrity and fire protection systems. They handled asbestos-containing materials during repairs to bulkheads, overheads, and decks, maintained fire suppression systems with asbestos components, conducted pipe repairs disturbing asbestos insulation, and performed emergency repairs requiring contact with asbestos throughout the ship.
Shop Personnel and Technicians
Machinists, pipefitters, welders, and other shop workers spent most of their time in repair facilities that were heavily contaminated with asbestos materials. They repaired equipment containing asbestos components, performed welding using asbestos-containing materials that disturbed nearby asbestos insulation, fabricated parts using asbestos-containing materials, and worked in shops with asbestos floor tiles, wall panels, and workbench surfaces.
Even crew members not directly involved in maintenance activities faced exposure. They lived in berthing spaces with asbestos floor tiles and insulation, worked in offices with asbestos-containing materials, walked through passageways with asbestos deck tiles, and were exposed to contaminated clothing worn by messmates who worked in heavily contaminated areas. The ship’s ventilation systems circulated asbestos particles throughout all compartments, ensuring that no area remained free from contamination.
Documented Evidence of Asbestos Exposure
Medical records and Veterans Affairs documentation confirm asbestos exposure aboard the USS Simon Lake. A 2019 review of a veteran’s application for VA benefits regarding his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) noted specific details establishing service-connected exposure. The veteran identified himself as a “plankowner” —a crew member present when the ship was placed in commission—who served as a fireman apprentice in the boiler room. He described helping install lagging to steam lines, documenting direct handling of asbestos-containing insulation materials.
The veteran’s service treatment records indicated multiple complaints of chest pain and coughing during his service, symptoms consistent with respiratory distress from asbestos exposure. He was placed under a medical surveillance program specifically for asbestos exposure, and evidence indicated he was likely exposed to asbestos dust during his duties. This documented case illustrates the widespread nature of asbestos exposure aboard the USS Simon Lake and the serious health consequences faced by crew members decades after their service.[3]
Compensation and Support for USS Simon Lake Veterans
Many Navy veterans who served aboard the USS Simon Lake have developed asbestos-related diseases. It’s easy to be overwhelmed following a mesothelioma diagnosis, but there are many resources and options available for affected veterans, including compensation from multiple sources and specialized medical treatment that can significantly improve survival and quality of life.
Veterans Administration Benefits
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides comprehensive benefits for veterans with service-connected asbestos-related conditions. Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease related to asbestos exposure during their time of service can file claims for disability compensation, specialized medical care, and additional family benefits.
The VA recognizes mesothelioma as a service-connected condition for veterans with military exposure and classifies it as 100% disabling. This designation ensures expedited claims processing and the assignment of maximum compensation levels. The VA also recognizes other asbestos-related conditions as service-connected when properly documented, including lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural disease, and respiratory conditions linked to asbestos exposure.
The VA maintains specialized treatment centers staffed with experts in asbestos-related diseases. These facilities provide cutting-edge medical care, clinical trial access, and coordinated treatment planning. Veterans may also receive travel reimbursement, caregiver support, and dependent benefits based on their specific circumstances and needs. Documentation such as service records, medical surveillance program participation, and service treatment records noting respiratory complaints can strengthen VA claims.
Legal Action Against Asbestos Manufacturers
Beyond VA benefits, veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses may be eligible to pursue legal claims against manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos-containing products used aboard their vessels. Although the Navy and federal government can’t be sued, private companies that produced asbestos materials can be held accountable.
Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed against companies that manufactured asbestos-contaminated insulation, lagging materials, gaskets, valves, pumps, boiler components, electrical insulation, floor tiles, and other products have provided victims with substantial sums from settlements and jury verdicts. These legal victories don’t affect VA benefits: Veterans can pursue both sources of compensation independently.
Asbestos Trust Fund Claims
Asbestos trust funds represent another significant source of financial security for veterans affected by asbestos exposure. Dozens of companies that manufactured and supplied asbestos products on Navy vessels and for use elsewhere were forced to establish these funds as part of their bankruptcy protection filings. The monies contained within the funds are specifically designated for victims diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. The trusts have distributed billions of dollars in claims to date, with approximately $30 billion still available for future claimants.
Trust fund claims offer several advantages. The process is typically faster than litigation, reducing stress and expediting the process for seriously ill claimants. Multiple trusts can be pursued simultaneously, potentially increasing total compensation. Trust fund claims can be filed alongside VA benefits and legal actions, maximizing available recovery options. Veterans who worked in boiler rooms, engineering spaces, or repair facilities aboard the USS Simon Lake may have claims against multiple trust funds for various asbestos products they encountered.
Help for USS Simon Lake Veterans with Mesothelioma
The harms caused by asbestos exposure are serious, and pursuing justice involves confronting complex issues governed by specific legal precedents and procedural requirements. Though many attorneys may claim to be able to provide legal guidance, veterans seeking information about their options should consult with an attorney specializing in mesothelioma litigation. These knowledgeable professionals have dedicated their practices to helping individuals affected by asbestos from occupational and military exposures. They have unique resources that make all the difference in the success and professionalism with which your case will be managed.
Experienced mesothelioma attorneys understand the unique requirements of documenting naval service exposure. They provide comprehensive service, including identifying all potentially responsible parties and available compensation sources, coordinating comprehensive legal strategies combining lawsuits and trust fund claims, assisting with VA claims filing and appeals, and gathering service records, medical documentation, and other evidence necessary for building strong cases.
Statutes of limitations impose strict deadlines for filing asbestos-related claims, making prompt legal consultation following diagnosis essential. Early contact will provide your attorney with the time they need to gather all necessary documentation and build a compelling case. With proper legal representation, veterans sickened by asbestos aboard the USS Simon Lake can successfully access the benefits and compensation they deserve for the harm they’ve suffered.
