The SS Gainesville Victory was another ship built under the Emergency Shipbuilding program in 1944 by the California Shipbuilding Company in Los Angeles. It was named after the city of Gainesville in Florida and was operated by the Seas Shipping Co. As a ship with a rich history, the SS Gainesville Victory served throughout World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It was employed to bring supplies to the troops fighting in the Pacific War. She took supplies for the Liberation of The Philippines and the Battle of Leyte from April 1 until April 6, 1945. In 1994, the SS Gainesville Victory was scrapped in Alang, India.
Since it was built before 1980, when the use of asbestos was finally regulated within the U.S. military, the SS Gainesville Victory was laden with asbestos-containing materials, which led to heavy exposure in the people who were aboard it. Asbestos exposure aboard naval vessels caused many veterans to later develop serious asbestos-related conditions such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis. Those that did develop any of these illnesses are eligible for free health care, disability compensation, and other VA benefits.
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