The USS Aristaeus (ARB-1) was an Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ship laid down on November 12, 1942, and launched on February 1, the following year. It was commissioned on May 18, 1943, under Lt. Ralph M. G. Swany’s command with the hull number ARB-1 and served in the US Navy for 4 years until it was decommissioned on January 15, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 260 people on board and had its main missions in Norfolk, Bora Bora, Sydney, Noumea, Tutuila, Buckner Bay, New Guinea, Ryukyu Islands, and Kerama Retto. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Aristaeus received one battle star. For decades, the United States Navy used asbestos to insulate boilers, pipes, turbines, pumps, engines, incinerators, and other heat-sensitive areas. The poor ventilation in the rooms where service members were assigned to work aggravated the risk of inhalation of asbestos fibers. Consequently, many Navy veterans found themselves exposed to the carcinogen daily during their military service, from serving on the ship to stripping vessels in a Navy shipyard.
760-621-6147
