The SS Luray Victory was laid down by the California Shipbuilding Company in 1944, under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. It served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. The ship was named after the city of Luray, which is located in Virginia. Throughout the war, the SS Luray Victory would carry supplies to the U.S. and the Allies. At the end of 1944, it arrived in New Guinea and was also part of convoy GB 720, which carried supplies to the people fighting in the Battle of Leyte and the Battle of Okinawa. Eventually, the SS Luray Victory was wrecked on Goodwin Sands in 1946.
Because it was built before 1980, when asbestos was finally regulated in the U.S. military, numerous toxic products were present on the SS Luray Victory, particularly in the engine room and the damage control room. Thereby, exposure to asbestos was unavoidable for the military personnel who served aboard it. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes several asbestos-related diseases as potentially service-connected, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Navy veterans who got sick due to military asbestos exposure are eligible for free health care, disability compensation, and other VA benefits.
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