USS Tinosa (SSN-606)

USS Tinosa (SSN-606)
The eighth ship of the Thresher/Permit class, USS Tinosa was the second vessel of the US Navy to bear the name. In commission for just over 27 years, she was named for the tinosa—a black, poisonous, tropical fish.

Construction

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine was awarded the contract to construct USS Tinosa on December 17, 1958 and her keel was laid down at this site less than a year later on November 24, 1959. Sponsored by Mrs. Samuel B. Stratton, wife of the New York congressman, Tinosa was launched on December 9, 1961. Upon her commissioning on October 17, 1964, Commander Robert B. Brumsted led a complement of 96 officers and enlisted men.

Capable of reaching speeds of up to 30 knots when submerged, Tinosa displaced 4,200 tons (submerged) and measured 278 feet, 6 inches in length. Her arsenal of weapons included four 21 inch torpedo tubes, UUM-44A SUBROC missiles, UGM-84A/C Harpoon missiles, MK57 deep water mines, and MK60 CAPTOR mines.

Naval History

Prior to her first voyage to Faslane, Scotland and the Caribbean Sea, USS Tinosa completed shakedown training based out of New London, Connecticut and underwent availability from April through June of 1966. Her first voyage was followed by an overhaul from March through June of 1967.

The first months of 1968 saw Tinosa providing services for the Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory in New London. This tour of duty included brief visits to Port Everglades, Florida and Bermuda. Upon completion of this assignment, Tinosa initiated local operations out of New London, Connecticut.

During the years 1968 through the middle of 1972, Tinosa’s duties were concentrated off of the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean Sea. A major overhaul took place in the spring of 1969 that included safety improvements designed and implemented as a result of the loss of the Thresher submarine (USS 593) in April 1963.

In July of 1972, Tinosa joined the Sixth Fleet for deployments in the Mediterranean Sea with operations based out of Sardinia and Holy Loch, Scotland. By year end, Tinosa returned to New London to work on a special project sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tinosa continued to operate out of New London from February 1, 1973 through the end of March. Two deployments to Bermuda, in addition to an operation off of Andros Island, Bahamas, occurred in subsequent months with Tinosa ending her year with participation in antisubmarine warfare exercises with Canadian forces off of the coast of Florida in December.

After having been dry-docked from January through March of 1974 in New London, Tinosa once again joined the Sixth Fleet for deployment to the Mediterranean. On this voyage, she visited Bizerte from June 24th through July 1st making her the first nuclear-powered submarine to stop in Tunisia (Africa).

November 16, 1974 marked Tinosa’s return to her homeport of New London where she carried out local operations before departing on stints in Narragansett Bay, to Charleston, South Carolina, and off of the coast of Florida.

Ingalls Shipbuilding, located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, was the site of a major overhaul for Tinosa from late 1975 through December 12, 1977 which preceded the testing of weapon systems with the Atlantic Fleet in the Caribbean from February 13th through May 20, 1978. A five-month long deployment to the Mediterranean Sea ensued that September—her third venture with the Sixth Fleet. Tinosa concluded her year with upkeep in La Maddalena, Sardinia immediately followed by special operations with a NATO task force.

Tinosa continued her operations throughout the 1980s, with noted visits to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Frederiksted, St. Croix, until her deactivation on July 15, 1991. She was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on January 15, 1992 and her dismantling was completed in Bremerton, Washington via the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program by the 26th of June 1992.

Asbestos Risk on the USS Tinosa (SSN-606)

Highly valued by the US Navy for its low-cost and heat and fire-resistant qualities, the naturally occurring mineral asbestos was not only a component in more than 300 materials involved in the construction and maintenance of the navy’s vessels, but its use was mandated. In addition to steel, asbestos has been noted to be one of the most widely used substances in the United States shipbuilding industry from the 1920s through the 1980s. Trends in asbestos use show that an average of 783 million pounds was used during the time period of World War II (1939-1945) and that peak use during the Cold War rose to a level as high as 1,589 million pounds. These statistics, combined with the estimated 4.5 million workers employed in US shipyards between the years 1930-1978, demonstrate that significant levels of human contact with asbestos have taken place throughout history—particularly with regard to navy veterans and shipyard workers.

The source of asbestos-related diseases is the inhalation of asbestos fibers that become airborne as a result of the disturbance or decomposition of a material composed of asbestos. Once inhaled, these fibers become embedded in lung tissue where they remain for an extended period. This course of events eventually results in scarring and inflammation, which in turn leads to difficulty breathing and gives way over time to more serious health issues such as asbestosis, pleural plaques, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Individual risk factors, such as smoking and pre-existing lung ailments, can further complicate how asbestos exposure affects an individual.

Today asbestos is classified as a human carcinogen—a cancer-causing agent—and medical science supports that asbestos exposure is the only verifiable source for the development of mesothelioma. At the present time, approximately one quarter of all asbestos fatalities in the United States—over 2,500 per year—can be attributed to mesothelioma.

If you served aboard or were involved in the construction, maintenance, or demolition of a submarine such as USS Tinosa, it is highly likely that you were exposed to asbestos and are currently at risk for the development of an asbestos-related disease. Since these diseases have an extended latency period ranging from 15-50 years, it is possible that you have yet to exhibit any symptoms. It is important to consider all of the sources that may have contributed to your exposure (including, but not limited to, insulation products, gaskets, adhesives, pipe covers, and heating systems) in conjunction with the duration of exposure and the quantity and composition of the asbestos.

There is reason to believe that as early as 1939 the US Navy was fully aware of the toxicity of asbestos and the dangers this substance imposed on human health and safety. Despite this knowledge, the use of this substance continued until limitations were implemented in the mid-1970s. The fact that the industrial benefits and cost effectiveness of asbestos were considered more important than safeguarding human health and safety entitles you to certain legal rights and possible compensation. Please fill out the form on this page to request more information.

Sources

NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08606.htm

Naval History and Heritage Command
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t6/tinosa-ii.htm

National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos