Mesothelioma Attorney
Operation Magic Carpet and Asbestos
At the end of World War II, literally millions of American soldiers had to be returned from the various theaters of the war. With massive numbers of troops in Europe, the Pacific, and CBI, it posed something of a logistical nightmare to get more than eight million troops home from their posts in foreign countries.
Fortunately, the War Shipping Administration had a fleet of Liberty ships, Victory ships, and troop transports at its fingertips. Beginning in June of 1945, these ships started repatriating soldiers from Europe. Beginning in October of 1945, more than 370 Navy ships of varying descriptions began bringing soldiers back from the Pacific theater. Aircraft carriers, battleships, hospital ships, and even assault transports were used to bring everyone back home.
Taking roughly 9 months for Europe to be emptied of American soldiers and 11 months for the Pacific, more than eight million soldiers were transported home by ship. While all appreciated being home again, what many did not and still do not realize is that they could have been exposed to varying amounts of asbestos while on board the ships.
The Navy has been a huge user of asbestos in a large number of parts of its ships. Boilers, walls, and a variety of other parts of the ships all contained asbestos. Asbestos was frequently used because of its beneficial heat resistant properties. Acting as both a form of fire prevention and insulation, the asbestos, when damaged, could have released tiny fibers into the lungs of the millions of soldiers that were transported on the ships.
Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney
If you were exposed to asbestos from any source, contact the mesothelioma attorney of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-781-3955 to discuss your situation and to determine your legal options.
