USNS Provo (T-AG-173)

The USNS Provo (T-AG-173) was one of the U.S. Navy’s Phoenix-class miscellaneous auxiliary ships. The vessels in the Phoenix-class served primarily as Forward Floating Depot (FFD) concept ships, able to support an entire armed infantry brigade.

The USNS Provo was initially laid down in 1945 by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation in Portland, Oregon and launched as the Drew Victory in April of that year. The Drew Victory entered service with the merchant marine and made dozens of voyages throughout the Pacific over the course of the next 18 years. On March 2, 1963, in response to the need for additional sealift capacity, the U.S. Navy acquired the Drew Victory from the Maritime Administration and ordered her into port for conversion to military specifications.

The Drew Victory spent the next nine months in port undergoing overhaul, during which she was renamed the USNS Provo. The Provo’s overhaul period was rather extensive, and the nine-month operation involved a significant reworking of the Provo’s interior. The attendant metalwork involved undoubtedly resulted in the release of significant quantities of asbestos fibers, which may have lingered inside the Provo for months. Upon completion of her overhaul in November 1962, the USNS Provo took to the sea for her first deployment with the Pacific Fleet.

In early 1964, after a brief shakedown and training cruise, the USNS Provo was designated as one of three Phoenix-class ships that were to participate in the Forward Floating Depot concept. The concept met with some success, but due to budget constraints the Navy decided to scrap the program, after which the Provo returned to duty as a cargo vessel. During the Vietnam War, the USNS Provo made several deployments to Southeast Asia where she served as a cargo carrier shuttling supplies from Navy stockpiles in the western Pacific to the coast of Vietnam. The Provo continued to operate in the western Pacific until the end of the Vietnam War, when she returned to a standard peacetime rotation.

In early 1973, the Provo entered port for a pre-inactivation overhaul that prepared her for removal from the active-duty Navy. The overhaul involved the removal of military equipment on the Provo, a procedure that carried the risk of asbestos exposure for the shipyard crews. On August 31, 1973, after successfully completing her pre-inactivation overhaul, the USNS Provo was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was often used on ships such as the USNS Provo in order to insulate and fireproof materials onboard. Unfortunately, using asbestos has caused thousands of past shipyard workers and crew members to develop asbestos-related diseases from being exposed to asbestos. Boiler rooms and engine rooms were two of the most common areas for asbestos exposure. In addition to these locations, pipes, walls and ceilings insulated with asbestos often exposed crew members as well.

Exposure to asbestos has been linked to several serious illnesses, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. The latter is especially harmful due to the latency period for symptoms to arrive. In most cases, symptoms of mesothelioma can take as long as 20 to 50 years to develop, leaving patients completely unaware of their condition. By the time the majority of patients are diagnosed, the cancer has often reached the advanced stages of development.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, you may have legal options for compensation. Many have received financial assistance to help cover medical costs, lost income and any other expenses. For more information about compensation and treatment options, please click here to receive a complimentary informational packet.

Sources:

Auxiliary Vessels Index