The USS Scania was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship laid down on January 6, 1945, and launched on March 17, the same year. It was commissioned on April 16, 1945, under Comdr. Ben C. Gerwick’s command and served in the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on September 2, 1947. It carried a complement of 303 men on board. During this period, the ship operated in Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, Guam, Tarawa, Seattle, Espiritu Santo, Eniwetok, Manus, and San Pedro. After decommissioning, the USS Scania was struck from the Naval Register on September 16, 1947, and scrapped in 1965. Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was extensively used in every United States Navy ship built from the 1930s to the 1970s because it resisted damage from heat and electricity. As a result of inadequate safety precautions and a lack of warnings provided for decades, Navy veterans may be left with a devastating illness decades after this exposure, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other pulmonary issues.
760-621-6147
