The USS Chilton (APA-38) was a Bayfield-class attack transport launched on December 29, 1942. It was commissioned on December 7, the following year under Comdr. A. C. Geisenhoff’s command with the hull number APA-38 and it served in the US Navy for 27 years until it was decommissioned on 1 July 1972. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 575 people on board and had its main missions in San Diego, Leyte, Pearl Harbor, San Francisco, Okinawa, Tsingtao, Eniwetok, and Ulithi. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on July 1, 1972, and sold to Ships Incorporated in Camden, New Jersey to be scrapped. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Chilton (APA-38) received 1 battle star.
Navy veterans suffering from illnesses caused by asbestos exposure are entitled to VA disability and compensation. There are also survivor benefits for spouses when veterans die of service-related diseases. The US Navy mandated the use of asbestos in shipbuilding because it was affordable, it was a good insulator, and it was corrosion-resistant. All these qualities made asbestos ideal to use on Navy ships.
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