The USS Propus (AK-132) was a Crater-class cargo commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. The cargo ship was laid down on 31 January 1944 as SS Frederick Tresca, under a Maritime Commission contract by St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida, and launched on 29 March 1944. The Crater-class cargo ship is a category of freighter that was constructed for delivering troops, goods, and equipment to locations in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Her awards include the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. Asbestos exposure was not limited to one specific area on a Navy vessel. However, high asbestos risk areas include engine and boiler rooms, damage control area, pump room, crew berthing space, mess deck, and wardroom. Due to being brittle, asbestos poses a risk to health if airborne, as inhalation is the main way that asbestos enters the body. When these fibers are inhaled they can cause irreversible scarring of the tissues.
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