The SS United States Victory was a Victory-class ship completed under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program of the US Maritime Commission. Serving in the Atlantic during WWII, she was one of the 96 ships modified to extend its troop transport capacity for operation Magic Carpet. Previously, she took part in a prisoner exchange mission. She spent some time in a dry dock in 1947 for engine repairs. Afterward, she was sold to an Indian operator and renamed SS Shipper. The SS United States Victory was finally scrapped by a Chinese company in 1971.
Asbestos was heavily used in the construction of the SS United States Victory throughout the vessel for heat and water shielding. All the sailors who served aboard the SS United States Victory could have inhaled a dangerous amount of the cancer-causing mineral, but pipefitters and people working in the engine room, pump room, and damage control room were especially at risk as more asbestos was present in those compartments. After inhaling asbestos particles, there is a high risk of developing lung diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma.
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