The USS Graham County (LST-1176/AGP-1176) was a De Soto County-class tank landing ship built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in 1957, launched in September of the same year, and commissioned in 1958. After shakedown, she underwent tests and repairs throughout 1958 and was assigned to the Atlantic amphibious force. In 1960 the vessel sailed for her first extended deployment. In 1961 she was in the Caribbean, ready to assist after the political events in the Dominican Republic. The ship departed for amphibious exercises in the Mediterranean in 1964 and prepared for a mission in the Cyprus crisis as part of Amphibious Squadron 4. She was then assigned to the Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, and conducted operations for the next 14 years. Reclassified USS Graham County (AGP-1176) in 1972, the vessel supported patrol gunboats and was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1977. Since asbestos was a prevalent material in shipbuilding during the last century, Navy ships had over 300 dangerous products aboard. The inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers may cause debilitating diseases such as lung cancer or mesothelioma within 20 to 50 years. Navy veterans should do regular medical examinations to detect them early.
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