The SS Middlebury Victory, a Victory-class armed cargo ship was laid down on December 16, 1944, and was christened on March 1, the next year. This 10,600-ton ship was built at the Oregon Shipbuilding yard in 75 days. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 62 merchant marine and 28 US naval armed guards and had its main missions in the Atlantic Ocean.
After the end of the global conflict, the ship was used to carry supplies to the US troops in Europe. And supplies such as tobacco, cotton, and copper were transported back from Europe. The ship sank on January 27, 1947, near Planier Island in the Mediterranean Sea. Asbestos exposure was common in the poorly ventilated boiler rooms and engineering spaces of this ship. The risk of inhaling asbestos fibers was high, and once inhaled, the fibers could lodge to the lungs of the crew later causing lung cancer or other types of asbestos-related diseases.
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