The USS Neosho (AO-143) was the lead ship of her class of fleet oilers in service until the early 1990s. The vessel was laid down in 1952 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Fore River Shipyard, launched in 1953, and commissioned in 1954. She was designed to combine speed and large cargo capacity for underway replenishment. The fleet oiler entered service as the fourth Neosho, a part of the Atlantic Fleet, and rotated regularly between the Sixth Fleet and the Second Fleet from 1955 to 1956. She provided logistical support during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and, two years later, had a complete overhaul in Baltimore, MD. In 1968, the vessel commenced another three-year employment cycle of training and local operations, followed by duty with the 2nd Fleet, ending with another overhaul in 1970. The ship was decommissioned in 1978 and began service with the Military Sealift Command as USNS Neosho (T-AO-143) with a civilian crew. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1994. Many Navy veterans suffered asbestos exposure without knowing, as the toxic mineral was present in almost every part of the ships built before the 80s. They inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers that may cause deadly cancers later in life.
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