SS Alcoa Cavalier
The SS Alcoa Cavalier was produced in the 1940's by the Alcoa Steamship Company. It was built as a freight and passenger ship, and it soon was put to use as part of the Merchant Marine fleet whose purpose was to transport military property and soldiers when the United States is involved in a war or facing a national crisis.
Every ship that was under the control of the US Maritime Commission was subjected to the possibility that it may be called upon to sail anywhere in the world for the benefit of the Navy during a time of crisis. This became especially common during World War II as enemy submarines took to targeting our transport ships and destroying them with powerful torpedoes. As more ships were destroyed, others had to be brought in to replace them and carry on the duties of the military.
Soldiers who took voyages on large ships to enter a war zone knew they were heading towards danger, but never suspected the hazard to their lives that they faced during the journey. Passengers on the SS Alcoa Cavalier or other ships spent their time close to products that were made with asbestos, a mineral that was used to create thousands of different goods for several decades. Regardless of the many benefits that asbestos presented, such as adding strength to any item it was used in and giving it the ability to resist and control high temperatures or even fire, the material quickly fell out of favor with the American people when it was found to be toxic.
Small amounts of asbestos can be taken into the human body through a person's nasal cavities without their knowledge of of it ever happening. The material will then settle inside the respiratory system, and there is no way to remove it. Ingesting asbestos produces many adverse effects such as the scarring of lung tissue, Asbestosis and cancer. The majority of these conditions do not have a cure, and some are deadly, which means that the soldiers who sailed off to foreign lands to defend the nation faced great risks to their well being while on their journey. These threats came in the form of troubles at sea, malfunctions to the ships, enemy subs and the very presence of asbestos.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
