The USS Lander (APA-178) was a Haskell-class attack transport ship that was laid down on October 9, 1944, under a Maritime Commission contract at the Oregon Shipbuilding Group, Portland, Oregon. It was launched on November 19, the same year, and was commissioned on December 9, 1944, under Capt. John D. Sweeney’s command, with the hull number APA-178 and it served the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on March 29, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 536 people on board and had its main missions in the Asiatic Pacific Theater during World War II and participated in the Iwo Jima operation and Okinawa Gunto operation. Asbestos exposure occurred extensively aboard this ship and was common in engineering spaces and boiler rooms. Generally, Navy veterans exposed to asbestos do not show symptoms of asbestos-related disease for many years, even decades. After the decommissioning at Norfolk, the ship was struck from the Naval Register on April 17, 1946. The ship got redesignated as Amphibious Transport (LPA-178) on August 14, 1968. For service in World War II, the ship earned 2 battle stars. The ship was sold for scrapping in September 1983.
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