The USS Avery Island was a miscellaneous auxiliary ship belonging to the Basilan-class built under a MARCOM contract by the New England Shipbuilding Corporation and launched in December 1944. During the war, the ship was responsible for the transportation of cargo and troops. After the war, the USS Avery Island sailed for Pearl Harbor where it loaded troops and left for Japan. After returning on the West Coast where it underwent revisions, the vessel sailed for Bikini Atoll to carry out instrumentation tests as part of the Operation Crossroads, special tests with the aim to assess the effects of atomic bombs on ships. After its radiological decontamination operations, the ship was decommissioned and placed in the reserve fleet where it remained until 1951. Veterans of the US Navy who served from the 1940s through the 1970s face an increased risk of lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma due to the widespread use of asbestos in military equipment and structures. Navy jobs that carried particularly high risks for asbestos exposure include boiler technicians, electricians, gunner’s mates, hull technicians, machinists, metalsmiths, and pipefitters.
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