USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce (T-AK-251)

The USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce (T-AK-251) was one of the United States Navy’s Boulder Victory-class cargo ships, which were originally built for the U.S. Maritime Commission. The USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce was originally laid down in July 1945 by the Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. The Lt. George W. G. Boyce was launched just after the end of World War II and first entered the water on September 19, 1945.

Following a short shakedown cruise, the Lt. George W. G. Boyce was transferred to the control of the Army Transportation Service where she sailed under the designation USAT Lt. George W. G. Boyce. After a four-year stint with the Army, the Lt. George W. G. Boyce was decommissioned and placed into the Pacific Reserve Fleet in Olympia, Washington.

Korean War Service

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the U.S. Navy acquired the Lt. George W. G. Boyce and ordered her into port for a pre-activation overhaul. The several week-long overhaul, which was carried out in Washington, was necessary to restore the Lt. George W. G. Boyce to operational readiness and involved minor modifications to her interior and superstructure. The metalwork necessary to complete the overhaul may have  resulted in the release of significant quantities of asbestos into the Lt. George W. G. Boyce’s interior, and hundreds of shipyard workers likely received asbestos exposure during the overhaul.

On her first deployment with the Navy, the USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce carried military supplies to the embattled Korean Peninsula. This would be a common run for the ship, which made numerous trans-Pacific crossings in support of Korean War operations. Over the course of the Korean War, the USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce participated in four Korean campaigns, earning a total of four battle stars for her service during that conflict.

After the Korean War

Following the cessation of hostilities in Korea, the USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce began a series of peacetime deployments with the Navy. These deployments took her from the Pacific to the Atlantic and back, and from 1954 until 1958 she operated primarily in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Early in the 1960s, the Lt. George W. G. Boyce made a pair of voyages around the earth, but in 1964 the cargo ship was ordered back to the Pacific to assist with American operations in Vietnam.

After the U.S. escalation in Vietnam following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the Navy deployed the Lt. George W. G. Boyce to Southeast Asia where she ferried supplies to troops onshore in Vietnam. The ship wasn’t limited solely to the waters off Vietnam, however, as she continued to make deployments to Europe throughout the 1960s. Despite her role in supplying troops in Vietnam, the USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce did not earn any Vietnam battle stars during the war. On July 15, 1973, after a 23-year career with the Navy, the USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register.

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 the USNS Lt. George W. G. Boyce 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.

Sources:

Auxiliary Vessels Index