The USS Jupiter (AK-43) was an Aldebaran-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. It was responsible for delivering necessary goods and equipment to ships and stations in the war zone. The ship was built in 1939 as SS Flying Cloud by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny, New Jersey; it was later renamed SS Santa Catalina. It was commissioned 22 August 1942, Lt. CDR. D. S. Baker in command. The USS Jupiter (AK-43) carried supplies and troops to staging areas for the Navy's first great offensive in the Pacific Ocean. It was struck from the Naval Register, on 1 August 1965, and sold for scrapping in March 1971. Asbestos was mainly used in the boiler and engine rooms. However, it was also used to insulate piping systems which were found throughout the entire ship including the sleeping quarters and mess halls. Many of the ships that contained asbestos during World War II, including aircraft carriers, amphibious warships, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, escorts, frigates, minesweepers, submarines, auxiliary ships, and merchant marine ships, were still in service throughout the 1980s. Removing asbestos from discontinued vessels put workers at risk since parts of the ships were often sold or used in other military branches, which again lead to additional asbestos exposure.
760-621-6147
