The USS Gage (APA-168) was a Haskell-class attack transport laid down on August 13, 1944, and launched on October 14, the same year. It was commissioned on November 12, 1944, under Comdr. L. J. Alexanderson’s command, with the hull number APA-168 and it served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on February 26, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 536 people on board and had its main missions in California, San Diego, San Francisco, Hawaii, Saipan, Japan, Hiro Wan, and Sasebo. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Naval Register on October 1, 1958, and sold for scrapping in 2009. During World War II, asbestos helped the U.S. Military manufacture ships quickly, efficiently, and at a low cost. Everyone on board the USS Gage (APA-168) was exposed to asbestos. Once asbestos is damaged in any way it’s easily breakable or ‘friable’. The tight spaces and lack of proper ventilation left all naval personnel defenseless against the millions of asbestos fibers released into the air. However, some occupations were exposed more than others including boiler workers, pipefitters, insulators, plumbers, welders, electricians, machinists, and engineers.
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