The USS Wheatland (AKA-85) was a Tolland-class attack cargo ship laid down on July 17, 1944, and launched on September 21, the same year. It was commissioned the next year under Comdr. Attilio A. Vischio’s command and served in the US Navy for 1 year until it was decommissioned on April 25, 1946. It carried a complement of 395 men on board and operated in Hampton Roads, Okinawa, Eniwetok, Ulithi, and the Philippines. After decommissioning, the USS Wheatland was struck from the Navy List on May 8, 1946. Later, the ship was sold to A.H. Bull in 1947. Asbestos was once a popular material in the construction of naval warships because of its heat resistance. Though the cancer-causing mineral was banned for most uses decades ago, its impact is still being seen today as illnesses associated with asbestos exposure often do not become evident for 20 to 50 years after initial exposure.
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