The USS Triana (IX-223) was an unclassified miscellaneous vessel and the second ship of the US Navy to be named for Rodrigo de Triana, the discoverer of the Americas. The ship was laid down in December 1943 under a Maritime Commission by California Shipbuilding Corporation as the Liberty Ship SS Elinor Whylie. It was acquired from the WSA by the Navy in May 1945, renamed, converted, and commissioned at Pearl Harbor with Lieutenant Wyman W. Hodgkins in command. In 1944, the ship suffered heavy damage by an underwater explosion. The ship was too heavily damaged to remain in service, but it was repaired and converted into a floating storage ship at Pearl Harbor. After it was decommissioned at San Francisco, California, the vessel was placed in the reserve fleet at Suisun Bay and later sold to Lerner Company in September 1958. Many Navy veterans were exposed to asbestos throughout their military career, and as a result, they now suffer from a variety of debilitating diseases. For example, steamfitters often had heavy exposure to asbestos, because the mineral was widely used for thermal insulation in ships. Not only did steamfitters handle asbestos products on a daily basis, but these products had to be cut or sanded down to meet technical specifications.
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