The SS William B. Wilson was a Liberty ship that was built during World War II. The ship was laid down on September 14, 1943, under a Maritime Commission contract by J. A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida. The ship was named after William B. Wilson, who was the first United States Secretary of Labor. After being launched on November 6, 1943, the ship was allocated to the Eastern Steamship Co. on December 16, 1943. People working aboard Liberty ships were exposed to asbestos as the material was commonly found in the ship’s boiler and steam pipe insulation, gaskets for valves and pipe fixtures, brake linings in winches, and fireproofing material for bulkheads. If you believe you might have been exposed to asbestos while serving aboard the SS William B. Wilson, you'll need routine follow-up care, such as chest X-rays or CT scans and lung function tests, at regular intervals. The ship was then laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at the James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia on October 10, 1945. Finally, on July 31, 1972, the ship was sold for scrapping to N.V. Intershitra, Rotterdam, and was removed from the fleet on August 25, 1972.
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