The SS Minot Victory, a Victory ship built during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program was laid down on October 27, 1944, and launched on December 4, the same year by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation. The SS Minot Victory was used as a supplier for the operations in the Battle of Okinawa. The ship, operated by Isbrandtsen Line, lasted from 1st April until June 22 in 1945. On April 12, a Japanese plane seriously damaged the Minot Victory while anchored at Hagushi by crashing into it, a crash that led to the injuring of five of the crew’s men. Shortly after that, the SS Minot Victory was repaired and back in service. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 62 merchant marine and 28 US naval armed guards and had its main missions in the Pacific War, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The ship was scrapped in 1985. Just like other Victory ships, the SS Minot Victory had boilers, pumps, turbines, furnace insulation, gaskets, and even ceilings and walls made of materials containing asbestos. Those who served on the Minot Victory were exposed to much more than the dangers of the war. By being exposed to asbestos, our veterans might suffer today of life-shattering forms of cancer.
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