USS Vulcan (AR-5) was the lead ship of her class of repair ships, laid down in 1939, launched in 1940, and commissioned in 1941. Between 1941 and 1943, the vessel underwent post-shakedown repairs and was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet Train with the Navy's task force dispatched to Iceland. During her Iceland stay, she repaired the torpedoed US Kearny (DD-432) and destroyers fulfilling escort duties. Between 1943 and 1944, the repair ship sailed for the Mediterranean, where she rescued the burning British ammunition ship HMS Arrow and received decorations from the British government and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Medals. Another decoration had the vessel’s name on it for supporting the invasion of southern France. The repair ship’s service history includes assignments in the Pacific from 1945 to 1946 and operations with the Atlantic Fleet between 1946 and 1991. The USS Vulcan was decommissioned in 1991, struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1992, and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. The ship was scrapped in 2006. Between World War II and the late 1970s, asbestos was prevalent in the shipbuilding industry. Those who served on ships built in this period should urgently gather information on their rights and options for fair compensation.
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