The USS Araner (IX-226) was a Liberty Ship that served the US Navy during World War II as a cargo carrier. This vessel was laid down in 1942 in Vancouver, Washington. It was built by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company. In December, the same year, the ship was launched and at the beginning of the next year, it was delivered to the War Ship Administration. The USS Araner was damaged in the Mindoro Campaign as a result of several Japanese torpedoes. After the attack, the vessel was towed to Subic Bay. A series of repairs followed, at the end of which the vessel was able to return to duty, in 1945. In 1946, the USS Araner was placed out of service and taken to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration.
Asbestos-containing products were heavily used in Navy ships built before the 1980s when the dangers of asbestos exposure became widely known. Unfortunately, although the Navy issued a policy against using asbestos in ships in 1975, many veterans had already been exposed to the cancer-causing material by that point. On the bright side, Navy veterans who got sick because of military asbestos exposure are eligible for free health care, disability compensation, and other VA benefits.
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