The USS Sappho (AKA-38) was an Artemis-class attack cargo ship laid down on December 12, 1944, and launched on March 3, 1945. It was commissioned on April 24, 1945, under Comdr. M. A. Beach’s command and served in the US Navy for 1 year until it was decommissioned on May 23, 1946. It carried a complement of 303 men on board. During this period, the ship operated in Pearl Harbor, Palmyra Atoll, Fanning Island, Sasebo, Seattle, Shanghai, Manila and it participated only in World War II. After decommissioning, the USS Sappho was struck from the Naval Register on October 15, 1946, and scrapped in 1965. Known for impressive resistance to heat and chemical damage, tensile strength, flexibility, and insulative properties, asbestos became a popular product for industrial uses during the 20th century. Unfortunately, companies manufactured, distributed, supplied, and sold asbestos-containing products knowing the risks involved. Because of this, thousands of Navy veterans are now forced to deal with the burden of diseases attributable to exposure to asbestos.
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