USS Pictor (AF-54)

The USS Pictor (AF-54) was one of the United States Navy’s Alstede-class stores ships, designed to carry replenishment cargos to Navy vessels at sea. The USS Pictor was built in 1942 by the Moore Shipbuilding Company in Oakland, California and originally launched under the name S.S. Great Republic. The ship served as a commercial carrier for seven years until she was acquired by the Navy, which was in desperate need of additional sealift capacity after the outbreak of the Korean War. The USS Pictor was commissioned for Navy duty on September 13, 1950 and deployed with the Pacific Fleet shortly thereafter. The vessel was one of a few Navy ships with the capacity to transport refrigerated stores, and as such she saw extensive service during her time with the Navy.

Korean War Service

During the Korean War, the USS Pictor primarily played a supporting role for the Navy’s combat ships. However, towards the end of the war, the ship was involved in the Summer-Fall 1953 campaign, earning one battle star for her service. Over the course of the war, the USS Pictor made three deployments to Korean waters, easily meeting the minimum requirements for a Korean Service Medal, which she was awarded retroactively.

Service After the Korean War

During her 19-year career with the Navy, the USS Pictor underwent several modifications and modernizations. During certain points in her career, the ship was equipped with sets of 40mm and 20mm guns. The work required to install and remove these weapons mounts was performed in Bremerton, Washington, a place where shipyard workers were likely exposed to asbestos fibers. The Pictor’s crew was also likely subjected to asbestos exposure upon their return to the ship as the asbestos that was stirred up by the overhaul had a tendency to remain in the ship’s atmosphere for weeks.

The USS Pictor served with the Navy’s Pacific Fleet in a peacetime role until 1965, when increasing hostilities in Vietnam forced the Navy to send dozens of vessels to Southeast Asia. The vessel served with distinction for four years in Vietnam, earning eight battle stars for her service. The USS Pictor was recalled to the United States in mid-1969 and eventually decommissioned in December of that year. On June 1, 1976, the USS Pictor was struck from the Naval Register and sold for scrap.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was often used on ships such as the USS Pictor in order to insulate and fireproof materials onboard. Unfortunately, using asbestos has caused thousands of past shipyard workers and crew members to develop asbestos-related diseases from being exposed to asbestos. Boiler rooms and engine rooms were two of the most common areas for asbestos exposure. In addition to these locations, pipes, walls and ceilings insulated with asbestos often exposed crew members as well.  

Exposure to asbestos has been linked to several serious illnesses, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. The latter is especially harmful due to the latency period for symptoms to arrive. In most cases, symptoms of mesothelioma can take as long as 20 to 50 years to develop, leaving patients completely unaware of their condition. By the time the majority of patients are diagnosed, the cancer has often reached the advanced stages of development.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, you may have legal options for compensation. Many have received financial assistance to help cover medical costs, lost income and any other expenses. For more information about compensation and treatment options, please click here to receive a complimentary informational packet.

Sources:

Auxiliary Vessels Index