The USS Bootes (AK-99) was a Crater-class cargo type Liberty ship freighters commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was laid down as SS Thomas Oliver Larkin, under a Maritime Commission contract at California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, CA., on 24 April 1943 and launched on 16 May 1943. During World War II, the USS Bootes (AK-99) was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in Hollandia operation, from 21 April to 1 May 1944.
Asbestos is globally recognized as having far-reaching and long-lasting impacts for human health, with indisputable scientific evidence showing that inhalation of asbestos causes lung cancer and mesothelioma. During and after World War II, asbestos use greatly expanded as the naturally occurring mineral was an ideal material for the shipbuilding industry. This caused hundreds of shipbuilders and sailors to be unknowingly exposed to dangerous asbestos dust in the cutting and manipulation of insulation products.
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