The USS Bayfield (APA-33) was a Bayfield-class attack transport laid down on November 14, 1942, and launched on February 15, the following year. It was commissioned on November 20, 1943, under Capt. Lyndon Spencer’s command with the hull number APA-33 and served in the US Navy for 25 years until it was decommissioned on June 28, 1968. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 575 people on board and had its main missions in Norfolk, Glasgow, Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, Hagushi, Subic Bay, Guam, and Iwo Jima. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on October 1, 1968, and sold to Levin Metals Corporation. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Bayfield received 4 battle stars, another 4 for the Korean service, and 2 for the Vietnam War. Asbestos has been especially valued as an insulating material because of its durability, nonconductivity, and heat resistance, since the beginning of the century. Its use in shipbuilding began in the 1930s and was extended during World War II. Asbestos exposure primarily results from inhalation of air containing microscopic asbestos fibers. Small-diameter asbestos fibers get into the air when manipulated, submitted to mechanical pressure, damaged, disturbed, or removed.
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