The USNS Bowditch (T-AGS-21) was a Bowditch-class hydrographic survey ship laid down on May 11, 1945, and launched on June 30, the same year. It was delivered to the War Shipping Administration and was acquired by the U.S. Navy on August 2, 1957, to be converted to a Survey Ship. During its activity, the ship carried a complement 62 Merchant Marine and 28 US Naval Armed Guards, during World War II. Most of the asbestos exposure aboard this ship occurred in engineering spaces and boiler rooms. The ship was struck from the Naval Register on March 04, 1988, and sold for scrapping on June 30, 1988, to King Tung Chen Steel & Iron Works Co. Ltd, Taiwan. Asbestos was used in almost every military and commercial ship constructed between 1930 and 1970. Aircraft carriers, barges, battleships, cargo ships, cruisers, destroyers, tankers, and submarines are among the vessels that fall under this category. Insulation for boilers, cement, floor, ceiling, and wall coverings, furnace insulation; gaskets; paint; pipe coverings; pumps; turbines; and valves are among the most frequent asbestos-containing products found in shipyards.
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