The USS Circe (AKA-25) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship launched on August 4, 1944. It was commissioned on November 10, the same year under Comdr. V. J. Barnhart’s command and served in the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on May 20, 1946. It carried a complement of 302 men on board. During this period, the ship operated in Pearl Harbor, Saipan, Eniwetok, Okinawa, Ulithi, and Savo Sound and it participated only in World War II. After the decommissioning, the USS Circe was transferred to the War Shipping Administration on June 26, 1946. It received 1 battle star for the activity during World War II. Asbestos is a fine mineral fiber that was prized for its heat and fire-resistant properties, tensile strength, and sound absorption. As a result, it was used extensively in the 19th and early 20th centuries in various industries, including the shipbuilding industry. For decades, Navy veterans were exposed to fibers known to cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
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