Shipyard, deployment, and service events for this vessel documented in the public record — court filings, the ship’s deck logs, or the crew’s own cruise book (each entry cites its source). Dry-dockings, overhauls, and yard periods were when asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced, the peak-exposure work for the crew and yard workers aboard.
1974
Dry-docking — Dry-docked, per the ship's deck log.
Derived from publicly filed asbestos-litigation records, ship’s deck logs, and the crew’s own cruise books. Historical service events; this does not constitute legal or medical advice.
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Service History
From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›
USS Pintado (SSN-672) was a Sturgeon-class attack submarine commissioned in 1971 and homeported at San Diego, later Pearl Harbor. During her 27-year service career, she conducted extensive Cold War operations in the Western Pacific, Arctic, and Indian Ocean, including multiple Arctic deployments where she surfaced at the North Pole four times. Pintado was decommissioned on 26 February 1998 and subsequently scrapped.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Laid down
1967-10-27
Launched
1969-08-16
Commissioned
1971-09-11
Decommissioned
1998-02-26
Notable Tours / Service Eras
Cold War Western Pacific 1972-1973
Cold War Western Pacific 1974
Cold War Western Pacific 1977-1978
Cold War Indian Ocean 1979-1980
Cold War Western Pacific 1981
Cold War Arctic Operations 1984
Cold War Western Pacific 1985-1986
Cold War Arctic Operations 1987
Cold War Arctic Operations 1992
Cold War South America UNITAS 1993
Cold War Western Pacific 1996
Home Ports & Forward Bases
San Diego, California — home port 1971-1975, 1976-1992
Bremerton, Washington — home port 1975-1976
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — home port 1992-1998
Drydock & Overhaul Periods
High Asbestos-Exposure Window
Guam drydock· 1974 damage repair
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard· 1975 upgrades and repairs
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard· 1982-1983 regular overhaul and refueling
Mare Island Naval Shipyard· 1990 regular overhaul and refueling
Asbestos rip-out, insulation replacement, and gasket-packing work occurred during these yard periods. Sailors aboard during overhauls had peak exposure to airborne asbestos fiber.
Notable Incidents
May 1974 — collision with Soviet YANKEE-class ballistic missile submarine off Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
6 December 1977 — collision with South Korean surface ship during joint operations, rudder damage sustained
Final Disposition
scrapped via Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, completed 27 October 1998
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Pintado? This submarine carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Pintado, hull number SSN-672, was a submarine, built by Mare Island Naval Shipyard and commissioned in 1971. She served through Cold War Western Pacific, Cold War Western Pacific, and Cold War Western Pacific. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Pintado, SSN-672 — insulated and sealed with asbestos. Each shipyard overhaul and major repair meant asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced — peak-exposure work for the yard workers and the crew aboard. Exposure was worst in the engineering spaces, where the snipes worked — but asbestos lined the whole ship, so all hands were exposed. The companies that made the asbestos equipment aboard — not the Navy — are who asbestos claims are brought against. According to asbestos litigation records, the equipment aboard the USS Pintado from makers such as Foster Wheeler, and Aqua-Chem allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Pintado and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the companies that made the asbestos products used aboard your ship. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
USS Pintado (SSN-672) is a documented U.S. Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine with asbestos-exposure evidence in the public litigation record. The equipment manifest below was assembled from depositions, expert reports, and manufacturer interrogatory responses filed in U.S. asbestos litigation that reference equipment installed aboard this vessel.
Equipment Manifest
Equipment Manifest — USS Pintado (SSN-672). 9 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
USS PINTADO (SSN-672) listed among Sturgeon-class and Los Angeles-class submarines equipped with this unit
Note: this manifest is derived from public asbestos litigation records (depositions, expert reports, manufacturer interrogatories) rather than primary BUSHIPS construction documents. Entries reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed legal records.
AsbestosIndex™Product & Manufacturer Reference
The asbestos-containing products documented on U.S. Navy vessels and at shipyards are catalogued by manufacturer on AsbestosIndex. These records cross-reference which companies supplied which materials and to which facilities.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Pintado
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the public asbestos litigation record document that the following Navy ratings worked routinely in spaces where ACM was installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced:
Fireman (FN) — engineering-plant tending across boiler and engine rooms
VA Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.
Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.
How to file a VA disability claim: VA claims are filed directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — not with a law firm. Start at VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or get free help filing from a Veterans Service Organization: DAV, VFW, or American Legion.
Source notes: equipment-manifest entries (where shown) are sourced from public-record BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation, NARA archives, and the public asbestos litigation record. Manufacturer attributions link to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Nothing on this page constitutes medical or legal advice.
Documented Asbestos-Exposure Environments — U.S. Navy Service
Public-domain U.S. Navy photographs illustrating the engineering spaces, ratings, and yard environments where asbestos materials were routinely encountered during normal duty.
All images are public domain (U.S. Government works). Specific photographs depict generic Navy engineering and yard environments — not the named vessel above. Asbestos materials shown or implied include pipe lagging, boiler insulation, steam-line covering, and gasket / packing materials standard on U.S. Navy vessels through the early 1980s.
Pintado SSN-672 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Pintado SSN-672 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Pintado SSN-672 is documented in the public U.S. Navy asbestos litigation record. U.S. Navy vessels of her service era were built to BUSHIPS specifications that required asbestos insulation throughout engineering spaces, on steam lines, around boilers and turbines, and in gasket and packing materials.
Which shipboard components on Pintado SSN-672 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Pintado SSN-672's era include: boiler insulation and lagging, steam-line pipe insulation, turbine and reduction-gear casings, valve packing, gaskets, brake and clutch friction materials, electrical wire insulation, overhead pipe coverings in berthing and mess spaces, and Navy-issue boiler cement and refractory in fireboxes.
What ratings were exposed to asbestos serving on Pintado SSN-672?
Navy ratings with the highest documented asbestos exposure include Machinist's Mate (MM), Boiler Technician (BT), Hull Maintenance Technician (HT), Engineman (EN), Electrician's Mate (EM), Interior Communications Electrician (IC), Damage Controlman (DC), and Pipefitter / Shipfitter. Officers in engineering departments also encountered asbestos in normal duty. Shipyard workers performing overhaul, repair, or refit work had concentrated exposure during yard periods.
What equipment manufacturers are documented on Pintado SSN-672?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Pintado SSN-672 include: Aqua-Chem, Foster Wheeler. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Pintado SSN-672 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Pintado SSN-672 veterans generally need medical records showing the current disease, service records supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a doctor's statement connecting the two. Veterans may file at VA.gov, call 1-800-827-1000, or seek free help from an accredited Veterans Service Organization such as DAV, VFW, or the American Legion.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site. References to ships, shipyards, companies, products, and asbestos-containing materials are drawn from public VA records, NARA archives, EPA/OSHA databases, and public litigation records. All references reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed records. Consult a licensed physician for medical guidance and a qualified attorney for legal advice regarding your specific situation.
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