The USS Scanner (AGR-5) was a radar picket ship belonging to the Guardian-class acquired by the US Navy in 1955 from the reserve fleet and converted for radar picket duty in the North Pacific as part of the Distant Early Line Project. The ship was built in January 1945 by Jones Construction Co. in Panama City, Florida as the Liberty Ship Edwin D. Howard and delivered to the Alcoa Steamship Company. It was acquired by the US Navy from the Maritime Commission in June 1955, renamed, and converted to a radar picket ship at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The USS Scanner was reconverted in September 1958, decommissioned in July 1965, and turned over to the Maritime Administration. The ship later returned to the reserve fleet at Suisun Bay, California, and sold in October 1974. Today, many people know that asbestos exposure can lead to serious health effects such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. However, despite knowing the dangers of asbestos exposure, companies were still putting the substance in their products well into the 1970s. Because of prolonged and often unknown asbestos exposure, many veterans have developed life-threatening conditions.
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