The USS Barataria (AVP-33) was a United States Navy Barnegat-class seaplane tender that saw service in the later stages of World War II and was decommissioned postwar. It then was transferred to the United States Coast Guard and was in commission as the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Barataria (WAVP-381), later WHEC-381 from 1949 to 1969, serving in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War during its lengthy Coast Guard career. It was laid down on 19 April 1943 at Houghton, Washington, by the Lake Washington Shipyard; was launched on 2 October 1943, and commissioned at its builder's yard on 13 August 1944 with Commander Garrett S. Coleman in command. Navy ships built between 1930 and 1970 have a well-deserved reputation for being laden with asbestos, which is known for its fire resistance and was the best and most cost-effective insulating material at the time. The mineral was discovered in virtually every component of military and commercial ships. As a consequence, Navy veterans and shipyard workers are particularly vulnerable to asbestos-related illnesses including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
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