USS Cavalier
The USS Cavalier was a Bayfield-class attack transport vessel built by the Western Pipe and Steel Company of San Francisco, CA and launched in March of 1943. The vessel however, was not commissioned by the U.S. Navy until January of 1944. Captain R.T. McElliot served as the vessels first commander.
After initial amphibious training exercises in the Hawaiian Islands, Cavalier was sent to the waters off Saipan for further training and the anticipated invasion in June of 1944. Facing stiffer resistance than expected the brave men and crew of Cavalier loaded medical personnel and unloaded troops on the shores of Saipan before eventually having to retreat. After some brief repairs on the U.S. mainland, Cavalier was sent back to Hawaii to begin rehearsal landings for the upcoming landings at Leyte.
During the Leyte campaign, Cavalier would often ferry between Leyte and New Guinea with casualties and medical supplies. Following the Leyte Bay invasion the Cavalier was involved in other Pacific theatre affairs. On January 30th, 1945 on the waters off Manila, Cavalier was struck by torpedo fire, suffering 50 injured men. Flooding and damage were contained by the attack forced the ship to be towed back to Pear Harbor where repairs would continue until late September. The Cavalier would not be involved any further in significant maritime battles until she was again utilized in the Korean War. Cavalier would serve as a transport vessel for some of the more important invasions during the conflict in Korea and earning three battle stars for her service.
The men who sailed aboard the Cavalier were known to take great pride in the assistance they could provide to ground efforts during both wars. They bravely ferried injured casualties to safety, while also landing many more men on the beaches even under heavy artillery fire from Japanese forces. Unfortunately, the danger they faced was not limited to enemy fire. Indeed, the Cavalier like many ships of its era was laden with toxic materials and one of them was asbestos. Many had no idea of the harmful health consequences of asbestos exposures during this time and many were endangered because of this. Asbestos was used in boilers as well as in many insulation fixtures aboard sea faring vessels of this time. If you or someone you now worked around these materials, it is important to be cognizant of the potential respiratory complications that asbestos exposure can cause and how to watch for adverse symptoms.
