The USS Sea Otter II (IX-53) served as a ship in the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, during World War II. On 23 August 1941, the Levingston Shipbuilding Company in Orange, Texas, launched the USS Sea Otter II, which was sponsored by Mrs. Eads Johnson, the designer's wife. The ship was bought by the United States Navy the following month and sent into service on 26 October 1941. The USS Sea Otter II (IX-53) was built at the height of enemy submarine assaults along the Atlantic coast to enable torpedoes to pass under its shallow draft. The draft, on the other hand, proved to be almost double what was predicted, and its 16 unmuffled gasoline engines would be noisy enough to alarm any submarine in the region. All branches of the United States military have utilized asbestos in the past, but none as extensively as the United States Navy. Navy veterans and mesothelioma are often associated, and the incidence of all asbestos-related illnesses is higher in this group. The use of asbestos in Navy ships was widespread from the 1940s through the 1970s. The hazardous mineral was found in hundreds of different uses, including steam lines, pumps and boilers, condensers, evaporators and distillers; turbines; deck material; and electrical and electronic equipment.
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