USS Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127)

The USS Admiral W. S. Sims (AP-127) was a large transport in the Navy’s Admiral W. S. Benson-class. The Admiral W. S. Sims and her sister ships played an integral role in maintaining the Navy’s sealift capacity. She was built in 1944 by the Bethlehem-Alameda Shipbuilding Corporation in Alameda, California and commissioned on September 27, 1945, shortly after the end of World War II. After a brief shakedown and initial training cruise, the Admiral W. S. Sims and her crew deployed to the western Pacific.

Between late 1945 and the summer of 1946, the USS Admiral W. S. Sims was responsible for bringing home thousands of Army veterans from the Pacific theater. On June 21, 1946, with the demands on the Navy’s transport fleet having declined since the end of World War II, the Admiral W. S. Sims was decommissioned and transferred to the U.S. Army.

The USS Admiral W. S. Sims began her career with the Army by having her designation changed to USAT General William O. Darby. The ship sailed with the Army for the next four years, but the Navy reacquired the vessel in 1950. The U.S. Navy retained the Army’s name, but changed the ship’s designation to USNS General William O. Darby (T-AP-127) and immediately sent the rechristened vessel into port for an overhaul.

The transport’s overhaul lasted six weeks, during which time she received repairs and upgrades to much of her equipment. Although the repair period was rather brief, the degree of metalwork required undoubtedly resulted in the release of asbestos from within the Admiral W. S. Sims’ hull. The toxic asbestos fibers almost certainly remained suspended within the ship’s atmosphere, exposing hundreds of returning sailors and shipyard workers to asbestos inhalation. When her overhaul was completed in April 1950, the ship was recommissioned into Navy service.

Service during Korean and Vietnam War

The Admiral W. S. Sims spent the majority of her Navy career based in New York City, where she made numerous deployments each year into the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. After years of developing a deployment pattern, the Admiral W. S. Sims was diverted from her routine in order to help return Korean War veterans to the United States. After successfully bringing American troops home from the western Pacific, the Admiral W. S. Sims resumed her transatlantic duties. The vessel continued in this role until the mid-1960s, when the buildup of American forces in Vietnam forced the Navy to recall the Admiral W. S. Sims for duty in the Pacific.

In 1965, the ship arrived in Vietnam with her first and only load of Marines, which the transport disembarked on August 13. In recognition of her role in bringing reinforcement troops to Vietnam, the U.S. Navy awarded the Admiral W. S. Sims with one Vietnam battle star. Soon after she returned to the east coast, she was ordered into port for a pre-inactivation overhaul.

The several month-long overhaul was necessary in order to remove the transport’s nonessential equipment. During the process, hundreds of shipyard workers may have experienced asbestos exposure, as their metal-cutting torches freed asbestos from within the ship’s hull. Admiral W. S. Sims was finally decommissioned and placed into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in 1968 and subsequently struck from the Naval Register.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was often used on ships such as the USS Admiral W. S. Sims 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