The USS R-16 (SS-93) was an R-class coastal and harbor defense submarine of the United States Navy commissioned on 5 August 1918 with Lieutenant Commander Cecil Y. Johnston in command, after being laid down by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California. However, the USS R-16 was temporarily decommissioned from 1931 to 1940, when asbestos might have been added to it in the form of wall insulation. The USS R-16 was permanently decommissioned in 1945 and sold for scrap within the same year. Those who served in the Navy, particularly before the 1980s, were at a high risk of being exposed to materials that contained asbestos. If you worked as a marine plumber, insulator, machinist’s mate, boiler technician, or pipefitter, and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, it is possible that you are eligible for VA benefits. For more information about legal options of recovery as a result of being exposed to asbestos, you should speak with an attorney with knowledge in this specialized area.