USS General D. E. Aultman (AP-156)

The USS General D. E. Aultman (AP-156) was one of dozens of General G. O. Squier-class large transports built for the Navy during World War II. The General D. E. Aultman and her sister ships provided logistical support for the Navy until the 1960s.

The USS General D. E. Aultman was built in 1945 by the Kaiser Company, Incorporated, of Richmond, California, and commissioned on May 20th, 1945. Following a short shakedown cruise in the Pacific, the General D. E. Aultman was assigned to transport medical personnel from Europe to the Pacific theater. The General D. E. Aultman arrived in Europe in late July, but by the time she returned to the Pacific the war there had ended. Following the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, the USS General D. E. Aultman was tasked with transporting combat veterans from the western Pacific back home to the United States. She made two trans-Pacific voyages, transporting over 7,000 troops, before finally being assigned to San Francisco for decommissioning.

Shortly after her decommissioning ceremony, the USS General D. E. Aultman was transferred to the U.S. Army, which sent her to port for a conversion and overhaul to prepare her for Army duty. The overhaul period, which lasted just several weeks, involved a moderate level of metalwork, which undoubtedly released significant quantities of asbestos from within the transport’s hull. Both the shipyard workers who performed the overhaul and the Army crew that eventually took control of the General D. E. Aultman likely suffered from asbestos exposure. The lingering asbestos fibers, which could remain suspended inside the ship for weeks, also probably led to asbestos inhalation for many of the embarked troops aboard the transport.

The General D. E. Aultman served for four years with the Army, making deployments throughout the Pacific region. On March 1st, 1950, she was returned to the Navy, which almost immediately found a role for the General D. E. Aultman supporting American operations in the Korean War. During the Korean War, the USS General D. E. Aultman made several trans-Pacific voyages to bring troops to the embattled peninsula. Between deployments, the USS General D. E. Aultman spent time in port receiving regular repairs and maintenance. Although vital to the transport’s continued service at full capacity, the overhauls almost certainly released asbestos fibers from within the vessel, contaminating most of her decks and interior spaces. In recognition of her service during the war, the U.S. Navy awarded the General D. E. Aultman with the Korean Service Medal, as well as one United Nations Service Medal.

The USS General D. E. Aultman continued to serve with the Pacific Fleet until the end of the 1950s, when she was placed into the Pacific Reserve Fleet. The transport was decommissioned on June 4th, 1958, and ultimately struck from the Naval Register on that same day.

Those who fought for our country in the military have always accepted that their duties come with inherent dangers, regardless of whether or not they experience time in battle. However, what most of our servicemen and servicewomen in most of the 20th century, especially those in the navy, did not realize was that contact with asbestos could eventually turn out to be nearly as deadly as enemy attacks.

The ability to control the spread of fire onboard a ship is paramount; historical maritime disasters illustrate the danger of fire at sea. Given asbestos' superb imperviousness to flames, it was hailed as being entirely suitable for use in the construction of ships, and at the time navy ships like USS General D. E. Aultman were built, insulation materials made from asbestos were typical. Asbestos has long been known for its insulation properties; however, it has also been proven to be the leading cause of such debilitating conditions including lung cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma. Asbestos harms the body when it is friable (that is, easily broken up into microscopic fibers) because it is then able to enter the body by being breathed in.

During the heat of battle or while struggling to survive severe weather, the chance of one day contracting peritoneal mesothelioma was undoubtedly the last thing on most people's minds. But exposure to asbestos was a significant secondary hazard of combat, since extensive damage to a vessel often uncovered asbestos-containing parts so that the fibers could be inhaled by people in close proximity. And even during peaceful times, sailors who worked on naval vessels like USS General D. E. Aultman still were faced with at least a certain amount of exposure since practically every compartment of the ship contained asbestos. In addition, anyone toiling in poorly ventilated spaces where asbestos was present, such as USS General D. E. Aultman’s boilers or engines, was especially in danger. But it wasn't only shipboard personnel who suffered from asbestos poisoning; those who maintained the vessel when she was in port for repairs were also exposed to airborne asbestos.

Since asbestos-related illnesses like pleural mesothelioma sometimes don't show up until many years after a person came in contact with asbestos, they are quite hard to spot. In order to make an accurate diagnosis, a physician needs to have information about a patient's history of exposure to asbestos. Navy files who worked on or served aboard USS General D. E. Aultman should therefore talk about their history with their physicians.

Sources:

Auxiliary Vessels Index