There are two categories of sonar technicians. The first operates on the surface, on Navy ships, whereas the second performs their job underwater, on submarines. Nevertheless, their duties are similar. Sonar technicians were in charge of operating sonar sensors for detection and classification of contacts, as well as underwater fire control systems, identifying underwater sounds, such as those stemming from torpedoes, submarines, evasion devices or surface ships, collecting and interpreting data, detecting important equipment malfunctions and, last but not least, performing preventive and corrective maintenance on sonar equipment.
However, it was the environment they would perform their work in that was detrimental to the health of sonar technicians. Since Navy ships and submarines were laden with asbestos, particularly insulation, sonar technicians, who were not wearing any protective equipment, would constantly breathe in carcinogenic fibers. Today, approximately 30% of veterans suffer from terrible diseases as a consequence of military asbestos exposure, including numerous sonar technicians.
Relevant job titles
- sonarman
- sonar technician (submarine)
- sonar technician (surface)
- sonarman (harbor defense)
Asbestos-related cancer eligible for filing a claim
If you developed one of the following cancers as a result of occupational exposure, you are eligible for compensation. If you are too ill, a family member can help you with the legal process. In the unfortunate event that you pass away before recovering compensation, your surviving family members will receive compensation on your behalf.
If, however, you struggle with non-cancerous pleural diseases such as asbestosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pleural plaques, pleural effusion, diffuse pleural thickening, COPD (emphysema & chronic bronchitis), pleurisy, lung nodules, lung spots, asthma, pneumonitis, tuberculosis, rounded atelectasis or lung scarring, please seek a second or even a third opinion as the rate of misdiagnosis is very high among the victims of asbestos exposure.
Companies that exposed sonar technicians to asbestos
Labor union members are also eligible
Asbestos products handled by sonar technicians
While the equipment they used rarely contained asbestos, the environment on the ships or submarines was contaminated with asbestos to a tremendous extent. According to a study, the average number of asbestos products present on Navy vessels during the last century is 300. Insulation was lurking everywhere on ships and submarines, as the asbestos in it would prevent the vessel to catch fire. However, insulation is a very friable material, so asbestos fibers would come off it easily. To make matters worse, the ventilation on Navy vessels was poor, so the asbestos fibers which had become airborne would linger in the air for a long time, considerably increasing the sonar technicians' risk of exposure.