The USS Betelgeuse started her life as a Victory-class ship on the 10th of April 1944. Operated under the US Merchant Marine charter, she took part in the Pacific campaign as an ammunition supply ship. On the 1st of March 1945, her crew was attacked and one man got hit when a Japanese shore battery opened fire as the ship headed for the island with a supply of ammunition. The USS Betelgeuse earned two battle stars for her service during WWII. In 1952, she was commissioned by the US Navy as a cargo ship. Then, the vessel was modified in order to transport Polaris missiles in 1960. In 1971, she was towed to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and was stricken from the Naval Register in 1974.
Asbestos was present throughout the ship mainly in form of insulation. Every member of her crew could have been exposed to the dangerous mineral, but engine and boiler room mechanics, pipefitters, radiomen, and plumbers were more at risk as they were in contact with larger amounts of asbestos. This toxic material was present in all the Navy ships as it was a great insulator. However, its fine particles could easily be inhaled if the material was disturbed, thereby producing irreversible lung damage.
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