The USS Joseph T. Dickman (APA-13) was a Harris- attack transport laid down on July 20, 1920, and launched on July 6, 1921. It was commissioned on June 10, 1941, with the hull number APA-26 and it served in the U.S. Navy for 5 years until it was decommissioned on March 7, 1946. It was reclassified as APA-13 in 1943. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on March 28, 1946, and sold for scrapping in 1947 to Kaiser Corporation. In the 1970s, the U.S. Navy began to limit the amount of asbestos to which servicemen were exposed. However, the utilization of asbestos-containing materials throughout every aspect of Naval operations was so pervasive that its application continued for the rest of the decade and beyond, all the way into the 1990s in some cases. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Joseph T. Dickman received 6 battle stars. Navy veterans are the most at-risk group for developing asbestos-related illnesses of all military branches, mainly because “fire at sea” has always been such a frightening hazard. If you have an underlying lung condition and were exposed to asbestos, you are eligible for free health care, disability compensation, and other VA benefits.
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