The USS Arkab (AK-130) was a Crater-class cargo ship built during World War II. The ship was laid down as SS Warren Stone, under a Maritime Commission contract at New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Delta Shipbuilding Co. It was placed in commission on 20 February 1957, with LCDR. Glen G. Heller USN in command. On 2 January 1946, the USS Arkab (AK-130) was turned over to the War Shipping Administration for disposal, placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, and laid up in the James River berthing area. The ship was sold on 21 September 1971 to Rotterdam, Netherlands, for scrapping.
For many decades, the shipbuilding industry utilized asbestos to prevent fires and excessive heat onboard Navy ships. Asbestos exposure took place because the rooms where Navy personnel was working were extremely poorly ventilated, so the dust and fibers emanating from the asbestos-containing equipment could easily be inhaled. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers lodge themselves within the lungs, heart, or abdomen, irritating them constantly and favoring the development of cancer.
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