SS Uruguay

The SS Uruguay was built in to be a passenger cruise liner, and it even carried some famous performers such as Carmen Miranda and noted conductor Leopold Stokowski. By 1942 the United States had become involved in what would be known as World War II, and the Navy needed as many large ships as it could get. Enemy submarines began to target American vessels, so new ones had to be built and many existing craft were taken over by the US Maritime Commission.

In 1942 the SS Uruguay was converted to become a US Army Transport on behalf of the War Shipping Administration. Within a year the ship was involved in a major disaster at sea. Another member of the Merchant Marine fleet was experiencing problems with its steering apparatus, and rammed the Uruguay while it was fully loaded with soldiers. The collision tore a hole in the ship that was 70 feet across, and 13 people were killed in the incident and at least another 50 were injured. Thanks to the immediate actions of Master Albert P. Spaulding, many lives were saved and further tragedy was avoided. After the two ships were separated, the Uruaguay was able to make it to land for repairs. Spaulding was given the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal by the President of the United States to honor him for his efforts.

When WWII came to an end, the SS Uruguay was converted back to a passenger ship by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The project cost more than $4 million and took over a year to complete. Throughout this process, a massive amount of work was done, but had the workers known of a hidden danger that was found within the ship, they would have also taken the time to remove every item that contained asbestos.

Since most people did not know that asbestos is poisonous prior to the 1970's, it was regularly used within a plethora of products. Insulation containing the mineral were especially prevalent in the maritime industry because there were many areas on board that needed to be kept at a constant temperature, and asbestos has the ability to withstand even the greatest heat. Sadly, as the insulating materials got older, they grew more likely to release tiny particles of asbestos which could then be inhaled by the people on board. Anyone who ingested these particles became likely to fall seriously ill with scarring of their lung tissue, breathing disorders, cancer and other diseases. The life of every person who spent time on board a large ship that contained these contaminated products was put in jeopardy.

As of 1948 the SS Uruguay was once again being used by the general public. The ship proudly received the Naval Reserve Pennant later that year in recognition of her service during the war.

Last modified: December 09 2009.