The SS Salvador Brau was a Liberty ship built at J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida, during World War II. The ship was named after Salvador Brau, a Puerto Rican journalist, poet, dramatist, novelist, historian, and sociologist. The SS Salvador Brau was laid down on 8 November 1943, under a Maritime Commission contract, and launched on 15 December 1943. When naval ships were constructed, asbestos was used consistently for its durability, non-flammable and non-combustible properties. The mineral was used in insulation, flooring, wall and ceiling construction, gasket-sealing, valve-fitting, coating and layering, and much more. Today, it is well-known that working with asbestos can be deadly, and those who did so in the past may suffer devastating consequences even decades later. On 31 January 1944, the SS Salvador Brau was allocated to William J. Rountree & Co. Inc. She was sold to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., for scrapping, on 16 November 1966 and withdrawn from the fleet on 21 December 1966.
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