The USS Capricornus (AKA-57/LKA-57) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship launched on August 14, 1943, with the hull number AKA-57. It was commissioned on May 31, 1944, under Comdr. B. F. McGuckin’s command and served in the US Navy for 4 years until it was decommissioned for the first time on March 30, 1948. It carried a complement of 429 men on board. The ship operated in San Pedro, Hawaii, Hollandia, Leyte, Guam, Okinawa, Espiritu Santo, and even Nagasaki, and Hong Kong. It was struck from the Naval Register on January 1, 1977. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Capricornus received 4 battle stars. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral widely used in the 20th century in many industries, including the shipbuilding industry, because of its resistance to heat, electricity, and chemical damage, as well as sound absorption properties and durability. When inhaled, microscopic asbestos fibers can bypass the body's natural defenses and lodge deep into the lungs. There, they accumulate and irritate the lung tissue, which often leads to the development of pulmonary asbestos-related diseases.