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USS Pictor (AF-54)

The USS Pictor (AF-54) was one of the U.S. 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 Pictor 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 13th, 1950, and deployed with the Pacific Fleet shortly thereafter. The USS Pictor was one of few Navy ships with the capacity to transport refrigerated stores, and as such she saw extensive service during her time with the Navy.

During the Korean War, the USS Pictor played primarily a supporting role for the Navy’s combat ships. However, towards the end of the war, the USS Pictor was involved in the Korea, Summer-Fall 1953 campaign, earning one battle star for her role during that campaign. 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.

During her 19-year career with the Navy, the USS Pictor underwent several modifications and modernizations. The Navy ordered numerous FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) overhauls for the Pictor, and certain points in her career she was equipped with sets of 40mm and 20mm guns. The work required to install and remove these weapons mounts was carried in Bremerton, Washington, where shipyard workers were undoubtedly exposed to asbestos fibers that had been trapped within the Pictor’s hull. Pictor’s crew also was likely subjected to asbestos exposure upon their return to the ship, as the asbestos that was stirred up by the overhaul crews 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 Pictor served with distinction for four year in Vietnam, earning a total of eight battle stars for her service. The USS Pictor was recalled to the United States in mid-1969, however, and eventually decommissioned in December of that year. On June 1st, 1976, the USS Pictor was struck from the Naval Register and sold for scrap.

The brave men and women who served our country in the military have long understood that their duties come with expected risks, whether or not they experience time in battle. What many didn't know about during most of the 20th century, however, was a risk that had nothing to do with bullets or enemy actions: the possibility of diseases caused by exposure to asbestos.

To safeguard the people on a ship, along with the ship itself, from fire and excessive heat, materials with excellent insulating properties are needed when building a ship. During the time when USS Pictor and other ships like her were built, the fibrous mineral asbestos was commonly utilized in shipyards because of its property of being able to insulate against flames. The problem with its use is, along with its insulation abilities, asbestos is also shown to cause debilitating illnesses as asbestosis and peritoneal mesothelioma. The harm done by asbestos occurs when very small fibers are breathed in or swallowed; they can infiltrate the respiratory system and sometimes the stomach, leading to scarring in the case of pleural plaques and damage at the cellular level in the case of lung cancer and mesothelioma.

During an enemy attack or while struggling to survive catastrophic storms, the possibility of someday developing pleural mesothelioma was undoubtedly the furthest thing from most sailors' thoughts. However, when a navy ship was subject to damage from enemy fire, during severe weather or in a collision with another ship, it usually exposed asbestos-containing material and allowed it to be exposed to the elements, creating hazards on top of the obvious ones. And even when not faced with crisis conditions, those who served on ships like USS Pictor still faced at least a certain level of exposure since virtually all areas of the vessel contained parts made with asbestos. In addition, a sailor who spent time in enclosed spaces where asbestos was present, such as a ship's boilers or engine room, was especially at risk. Even shipyard personnel such as electricians were subject to coming down with asbestos-related diseases if they repaired vessels like USS Pictor without using safety equipment and procedures.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are difficult to distinguish from other illnesses, as they share symptoms with such conditions. However, being aware of a patient's history of asbestos exposure can help a physician in being able to accurately diagnose conditions like mesothelioma. Naval veterans who serviced or served aboard USS Pictor should therefore discuss their service history with their physicians.

Sources:

  1. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships:
    http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p6/pictor-i.htm
  2. NavSource:
    http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/06/0654.htm
  3. USS Pictor Home Page:
    http://www.pictor-af54.org/History.htm

Auxiliary Vessels Index

USNS Asterion T-AF-63
USNS Cheyenne T-AG-174
USNS Cumberland T-AO-153
USNS David C Shanks T-AP-180
USNS Fred C Aunsworth T-AP-181
USNS Geiger T-AP-197
USNS Harris County T-LST-822
USNS Lt. George W. G.
Boyce T-AK-251

USNS Lt. Robert Craig T-AK-252
USNS Marine Adder AP-193
USNS Mission San Antonio T-AO-119
USNS Provo T-AG-173
USNS Rincon T-AOG-77
USNS Sgt. Andrew Miller T-AK-242
USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup T-AG-175
USNS Sgt. Jack J. Pendleton T-AKV-5
USNS Sgt. Morris E. Crain T-AK-244
USNS Shearwater T-AG-177
USS Admiral Hugh Rodman AP-126
USS Admiral W.S. Sims AP-127
USS Alamo LSD-33
USS Alshain AKA-55
USS Alstede AF-48
USS Andromeda AKA-15
USS Ashtabula AO-51
USS Bellatrix AKA-3
USS Bryce Canyon AD 36
USS Bryce Canyon AD 36
USS Cacapon AO-52
USS Caroline County LST-525
USS Carter Hall LSD-3
USS Cassia County LST-527
USS Catalpa AN-10
USS Cayuga County LST-529
USS Charleston LKA-113
USS Chimon AG-150
USS Chittenden County LST-561
USS Cimarron AO-22
USS Clarke County LST-601
USS Cleveland LPD-7
USS Collenton APB-36
USS Colonial LSD-18
USS Consolation AH-15
USS Crook County LST-611
USS DeKalb County LST-715
USS Denebola AF-56
USS Diphda AKA-59
USS Dixie AD-14
USS Dukes County LST-735
USS Dunn County LST-742
USS Duval County LST-758
USS El Paso LKA-117
USS Electron AG-146
USS Epping Forest LSD-4
USS Etlah AN-79
USS Firedrake AE-14
USS Floyd County LST-762
USS Fort Fisher LSD-40
USS Frederick LST-1184
USS Gardiners Bay AVP-39
USS General A.W. Brewster AP-155
USS General C.G. Morton AP-138
USS General D.E.Aultman AP-156
USS General George M. Randall AP-115
USS General H.F. Hodges AP-144
USS General J.C. Breckenridge AP-176
USS General LeRoy Eltinge AP-154
USS General M.C. Meigs AP-116
USS General M.M. Patrick AP-50
USS General R.L. Howze AP-134
USS General S.D. Sturgis AP-137
USS General W.A. Mann AP-112
USS General W.F. Hase AP-146
USS General W.M. Black AP-135
USS General William Mitchell AP-114
USS Genesee AOG-8
USS Grainger AK-184
USS Greer County LST-799
USS Guadalupe AO-32
USS Guam LPH-9
USS Haleakala AE-25
USS Hamilton County LST-802
USS Hampshire County LST-819
USS Haven AH-12
USS Hennepin AK-187
USS Herkimer AK-188
USS Hickman County LST-825
USS Holmes County LST-836
USS Hunterdon County LST-838
USS Inchon LPH-12
USS Iron County LST-840
USS James O'Hara APA-90
USS Jefferson County LST-845
USS Jerome County LST-848
USS Kansas City AOR-3
USS Kaskaskia AO-27
USS Kemper County LST-854
USS Keosanqua ATA-198
USS King County LST-857
USS Kishwaukee AOG-9
USS La Moure County LST-883
USS Laertes AR-20
USS Lawrence County LST-887
USS Lindenwald LSD-6
USS Luzerne County LST-902
USS Magoffin APA-199
USS Mahnomen County LST-912
USS Manatee AO-58
USS Markab AD-21
USS Mathews AKA-96
USS Mauna Kea AE-22
USS Mazama AE-9
USS Merapi AF-98
USS Merrick AKA-97
USS Mispillion AO-105
USS Monmouth County LST-1032
USS Monticello LSD-35
USS Mount Baker AE-4
USS Mount McKinley ACG-7
USS Mulberry AN-27
USS Muliphen AKA-61
USS Navasota AO-106
USS New Orleans LPH-11
USS Niagra Falls AFS-3
USS Ogden LPD-5
USS Okinawa LPH-3
USS Onslow APV-48
USS Orange County LST-1068
USS Outagamie County LST-1073
USS Paricutin AE-18
USS Park County LST-1077
USS Pasig AW-3
USS Patapsco AOG-1
USS Pender County LST-1080
USS Pictor AF-54
USS Platte AO-24
USS Plumas County LST-1083
USS Polaris AF-11
USS Portland LSD-37
USS Princeton CV-37
USS Procyon AF-61
USS Rainer AE-5
USS Regulus AF-57
USS Romulus-ARL-22
USS Sanborn APA-193
USS Sanctuary AH-17
USS Sarnac AO-74
USS Satyr ARL-23
USS Sedgwick County LST-1123
USS Sharps AG-139
USS Skagit AKA-105
USS Sphinx ARL 24
USS St. Clair County LST 1096
USS St. Joseph's River LSM 527
USS Steuben County LST 1138
USS Suisun AVP 53
USS Summit County LST 1146
USS Susquehanna AOG-5
USS Tallulah AO 50
USS Tensaw YT 418
USS Terrell County LST 1157
USS Thomaston LSD 28
USS Tioga County LST 1158
USS Tom Green County LST 1159
USS Tombigbee AOG 11
USS Tripoli LPH 10
USS Union AKA 106
USS Vancouver LPD 2
USS Vesuvius AE 15
USS Virgo AKA 20
USS Waccamaw AO 109
USS Wallacut YTB 420
USS Warrick AKA-89
USS Washoe County LST 1165
USS Westchester County LST 1165
USS Whetstone LSD 27
USS Whidbey AG 141
USS Whiteside AKA 90
USS Windham County LST 1170
USS Wrangell AE 12
USS Yancey AKA 93
USS Yazoo AN 92
USS Zelima AF 49
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