USNS Geiger (T-AP-197)

The USNS Geiger (T-AP-197) was a large transport used by the U.S. Navy throughout the Atlantic region. The Geiger and her sister ships were originally laid down as passenger liners, but were acquired by the Navy and pressed into service with the military. The USNS Geiger was built between 1949 and 1950 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey and commissioned into Navy service on September 13, 1952.

The Navy originally intended to use the Geiger for transporting troops to the Korean Peninsula, but the end of the Korean War months after her commissioning resulted in a new tasking for the Geiger. For the rest of the 1950s, the USNS Geiger sailed from New York to destinations throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. The Geiger and her crew also supported combat operations in Jordan and Lebanon during the 1950s.

During the 1960s, the Geiger continued to sail out of New York, making routine runs to Europe and destinations in the Mediterranean. The Geiger also trained extensively with the Navy’s 6th Fleet, participating in several mock invasions, including the largest American amphibious assault since the Korean War.

In 1965 the Geiger was finally ordered into the Pacific, 13 years after her original tasking. Although her initial orders took her to Korea, her ultimate destination was Vietnam, where she landed South Korean troops and served as a troop shuttle for American forces. The USNS Geiger made numerous runs throughout the southwest Pacific before returning to the Atlantic, where she resumed her familiar route between New York and Europe. It wasn’t long, however, before the Navy’s force requirements necessitated the Geiger’s return to Vietnam and she spent 1967 supporting American operations in the region.

In 1971 the USNS Geiger was ordered back to the west coast for a pre-inactivation overhaul. Overhauling a ship the size of the Geiger was quite a task and the work was further complicated by the significant quantities of asbestos trapped within the Geiger’s hull. As crews worked to prepare the Geiger for decommissioning, they may have caused asbestos fibers to become airborne, almost certainly exposing hundreds of shipyard workers to the toxic fibers. On June 1, 1971, the Geiger was decommissioned and placed into the Pacific Reserve Fleet.

The USNS Geiger remained in Suisun Bay with the Pacific Reserve Fleet for 12 years. Following her dozen-year term with the mothball fleet, the Geiger was struck from the Naval Register on April 1, 1983 and later scrapped.

Asbestos Risks

For as long as there have been wars, servicemen and servicewomen in the military have accepted that their lives will contain serious risks. But in addition the obvious risks one associates with military service, a hidden danger included exposure to asbestos.

The ability to stop the spreading of flames on a ship was crucial in limiting the size of accidents. During the period that USNS Geiger and other ships like her were built, the mineral known as asbestos was frequently used in shipyards because of its insulating and fireproofing capabilities. Unfortunately, the use of asbestos has exposed many past crew members and shipyard workers to toxic asbestos fibers. Exposure to asbestos has been noted to cause the development of several conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Boiler rooms and engine rooms were common locations for exposure to asbestos. The high temperatures in these areas caused the need for fireproofing and asbestos was used on many products. Other areas throughout ships that contained asbestos were pipes, walls and ceilings that need to be insulated. Any disturbance to these materials may have caused the dispersion of asbestos fibers where they could be inhaled.

If you or a loved one have been exposed to asbestos and have since contracted an asbestos-related disease, please click here to receive a free informational packet about treatment options and compensation. Many who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions have received financial assistance to help cover medical costs and lost income.

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Auxiliary Vessels Index