The USS Seal (SS-183) was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seal, a sea mammal valued for its skin and oil. Her keel was laid down on 25 May 1936 by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 25 April 1937 at the Naval Submarine Base, New London, sponsored by Mrs. Rosemary G. Greenslade, wife of Lieutenant (later Rear Admiral) John F. Greenslade and daughter-in-law of Rear Admiral John W. Greenslade. The boat was commissioned on 30 April 1937, Lieutenant Karl G. Hensel in command. The ship won 10 battle stars during World War II. It was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1956 and sold for scrap one year later. Exposure to asbestos was a problem for the people who were present on this submarine, as the wall insulation may have contained the carcinogenic mineral, which becomes a health hazard when airborne. Therefore, Navy veterans who were on the USS Seal (SS-183) should undergo periodical medical examinations to ensure their health was not affected by asbestos exposure.
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