The USS Hamblen (APA-114) was a Bayfield-class attack transport launched on June 30, 1944. It was commissioned on June 12, the following year under Capt. G. M. Wauchope’s command with the hull number APA-114 and it served in the U.S. Navy for one year until it was decommissioned on May 11, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 575 people on board and had its main missions in Norfolk, Galveston, New Orleans, Hawaii, Hilo, Sasebo, and Okinawa. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List and sold in 1948 to Isthmian Lines where it was renamed Steel Voyager. In 1973, the ship was finally scrapped.
Because it was relatively cheap and heat-resistant, the military used asbestos in virtually all its infrastructure until the early 1980s, however, Navy veterans have the highest risk of developing asbestos-related conditions in the United States Military. During World War II, the Korean, and Vietnam War, the Navy used enormous amounts of asbestos insulation and fireproofing products on warships and submarines. This released a large number of asbestos fibers into the air.
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