The SS H.H. Raymond was a Liberty Ship built in the U.S. during World War II. It was laid down in April 1944 at the Maritime Commission’s request by J.A. Jones Construction in Panama City, Florida. The vessel was reassigned to Agwilines Inc. to be operated during the war and shortly after. Starting from 1952 until 1963, the SS H.H. Raymond served as a grain transporter. It was scrapped in May 1970. The World War II led to a boom in shipbuilding, especially warships. The munitions magazines presented an enormous hazard since even a minor fire could mean an explosion. Asbestos was therefore used as an insulating material, first in the form of asbestos mats, then later in the form of sprayed-on asbestos. The long asbestos fibers were woven into mats up to fifty centimeters thick that could easily resist temperatures up to six hundred degrees. The mats insulated the steam heating pipes. By the end of the 1960s, asbestos insulation could usually be found in passenger ships as well. Within a few decades, the material had become the unrivaled insulating material everywhere.
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