The USNS Antioch (T-AG-180) was laid down on February 28, 1945, as SS Alfred Victory under a Maritime Commission contract at Permanente Metals Yard No.2, Richmond, California. The ship was launched on April 11, 1945, and delivered to the Maritime Commission on May 7, 1945. The ship was chosen to be converted into Forward Depot Ship for the Military Transport Service but was not acquired by the Navy eventually. The ship carried cargo to Vietnam under a commercial charter and was scrapped at Kaohsiung in 1988. While asbestos exposure has been recorded in many various industrial and occupational contexts, a significant number of asbestos exposure cases have been observed in and near shipyards. Unfortunately, service members and shipyard workers were not told of the hazard of breathing asbestos. They were unaware that they were breathing deadly dust. This exposure has put them at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
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