The USNS Albert J. Myer (T-ARC-6) was the second Maritime Commission ship built for the US Army to support the Army Signal Corps in maintaining and servicing communications cables. The ship was laid down in 1946 by Pusey & Jones Corp. and reactivated by the Army in 1952 to preserve the Alaska Communications System that also served civilian and military needs. In 1966, she was transferred to the Navy to support Project Caesar - building and maintaining the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) that tracked Soviet submarines. The ship was typically assigned to transport, deploy, retrieve, and repair submarine cables. She carried out cable repair duties until 1994. During her career, the vessel received a Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1974 and four Navy E ribbons in 1981, 1982, 1984, and 1985. The USNS Albert J. Myer was dismantled and recycled by International Shipbreaking Ltd, TX, in 2005. With asbestos heavily used on Naval vessels, veterans working with or around this toxic material without proper protection were likely exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers floating in the air and, consequently, a very high risk of developing asbestos-related cancers and pulmonary diseases.
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