The USS Kingsbury (APA-177) was a Haskell-class attack transport ship that was launched on November 16, 1944, under a Maritime Commission contract by the Oregon Shipbuilding Group, Portland, Oregon. It was acquired by the Navy and commissioned on December 6, 1944, under Cmdr. John H. Hughes’ command, with the hull number APA-177 and it served the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on April 19, 1946.
Most of the equipment on the USS Kingsbury (APA-177) including the boilers, pumps, turbines, fuel oil burners, and pipe coverings contained asbestos and because of the extensive use of the mineral, those who worked aboard this ship are at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 536 people on board and had its main missions in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. After the decommissioning at Portsmouth, the ship was struck from the Naval Register on May 1, 1946. The ship was redesignated as Amphibious Transport (LPA-177) and was finally sold for scrapping in August 1983.
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