The USS Mendocino (APA-100) was a Bayfield-class attack transport laid down on September 20, 1943, and launched on February 11, the following year. It was commissioned on October 31, 1944, under Capt. Walton R. Reed’s command with the hull number APA-100 and it served in the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on February 27, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 575 people on board and had its main missions in San Pedro, Pearl Harbor, California, Leyte Gulf, Saipan, Okinawa, Guam, and Norfolk. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on March 12, 1946, and later sold to Pope & Talbot Inc. in San Francisco where it was renamed P & T Seafarer. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Mendocino received one battle star. Due to its affordability, all branches of the military used asbestos particularly during World War II, but the U.S. Navy used asbestos extensively in shipbuilding, maintenance, and repair. Consequently, many Navy personnel assigned to refit or repair naval vessels have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos before the health risks of asbestos were officially acknowledged in the mid-1970s.
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