The SS Laura Bridgman was a Liberty ship built at J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia, during World War II. The cargo ship was named after Laura Bridgman known as the first deaf-blind American child to gain a significant education in the English language. The SS Laura Bridgman was laid down on 23 September 1944, under a Maritime Commission, and launched on 30 October 1944.
Most of the equipment of the ship was made of mixtures containing large amounts of asbestos, from boilers to gaskets, valves, pipes and many others. These components had to be regularly inspected and repaired, leading to the inevitable disturbance of asbestos fibers. On 17 January 1951, the SS Laura Bridgman was sold to Drytrans, Inc., and renamed Catherine. In September 1957, she was transferred to a Liberian shipping company. On 14 May 1958, the ship was sold to Penntrans Co., and renamed Penn Explorer. She was again sold to a Liberian company on 29 November 1961 and scrapped in 1968.
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