The SS James W. Cannon was a Liberty Ship built in the United States for World War II service. The ship was named after James William Cannon, the founder of Cannon Mills Corporation. It was constructed at the J. A. Jones Construction’s shipyards in Georgia, under a Maritime Commission contract and launched in July 1944. After launch, the vessel was allocated to the International Freighting Corporation to be operated by during the war. It was placed in the reserve fleet at Astoria, Oregon for a short while after the war and then it was sold three times for commercial use until it was scrapped in 1963. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that was prized for its heat and fire-resistant properties, tensile strength, and sound absorption. As a result, it was used extensively in the 19th and early 20th centuries in various industries, including shipbuilding. For decades, Navy veterans were exposed to fibers known to cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer, while asbestos companies built a highly profitable industry and hid the known dangers of asbestos exposure in order to continue using it.
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