As a second-group class-S submarine, the USS S-13 was built by Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1920. The submarine was sponsored by Miss Mary Howe and initially had Lieutenant Wilder D. Baker in command. Following duty along the northeast coast in 1923, the USS S-13 visited the Panama Canal Zone, Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, and Trinidad throughout the following year. Afterward, the vessel departed New London, Connecticut, and proceeded through the Panama Canal and California to Hawaii. The submarine also visited Kingston, Jamaica in 1926. Asbestos, which is highly toxic to humans, was present aboard the USS S-13 in large amounts, primarily in the form of insulation. Exposure to asbestos, which occurs by inhalation and ingestion, is associated with a wide range of terrible diseases, including lung cancer. Veterans who served aboard this submarine need to undergo regular medical examinations, as they are at high risk of developing a serious disease as a consequence of asbestos exposure. It is worthy of note that diseases that occur as a result of asbestos exposure take between 20 and 50 years to develop. In 1945, the USS S-13 was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and eventually sold to the Northern Metals Company of Philadelphia, which scrapped it.
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