The USS Escatawpa (AOG-27) was a Mettawee-class gasoline tanker launched on June 3, 1944. It was commissioned on August 18, the same year under Lt. H. T. Nottage’s command with the hull number AOG-27 and it served in the U.S. Navy for one year until it was destroyed by a typhoon on September 17, 1945. It was decommissioned on March 20, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 62 people on board and had its main missions along the U.S. Pacific Fleet. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List and sold to Brazil in 1947.
To date, thousands of Navy veterans have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. Durable, light, and fire-resistant, asbestos appeared to be the perfect material for building naval ships. From the 1930s until the late 1970s, it was used to insulate boilers and engine rooms on ships, and even in mess halls and sleeping areas. As a result, Naval military members encountered varying levels of toxic asbestos dust and fibers for more than four decades.
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