As a ship built under the Emergency Shipbuilding program by the California Shipbuilding Company in 1944, the SS Clovis Victory took 156 days to complete. It was operated by the Seas Shipping Company during World War II and served in the Pacific Ocean as a cargo supply ship. The crew of the SS Clovis Victory earned several battle stars for their war action during the assault of Okinawa in World War II. From 1950 to 1953, the SS Clovis Victory also served in the Korean War and earned the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. Eventually, the ship was scrapped in 1972.
Because it was laid down in the heyday of asbestos, over 300 different hazardous products were present on the ship, which greatly endangered the health of the people serving aboard it. However, because diseases that develop as a result of asbestos exposure take between 20 and 50 years to occur, it was only recently that veterans came to struggle with awful diagnoses, such as lung cancer or mesothelioma.
760-621-6147
