The USS Oxford (APA-189) was a Haskell-class attack transport laid down on April 17, 1944, and launched on July 12, the same year. It was commissioned on September 11, 1944, under Comdr. Paul S. Crandall’s command, with the hull number APA-189, and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on April 17, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 536 people on board and had its main missions in California, Okinawa, San Francisco, New Guinea, Leyte, Manus, Guam, San Diego, and Noumea. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on May 1, 1946. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Oxford received 2 battle stars.
There is no known procedure that can help the body expel asbestos fibers once they find their way inside it. The toxic fibers will gradually cause inflammation, and decades later develop into terrible diseases, such as lung cancer or asbestosis - an irreversible, progressively worsening disease characterized by the scarring of the lung tissue.