The USS Baltimore (CA-68) was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser laid down on May 26, 1941, and launched on July 28, 1942. It was commissioned on April 15, the following year under Capt. Walter C. Calhoun’s command as CA-68 and served in the U.S. Navy for 13 years until it was decommissioned on May 31, 1956. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 1,142 people on board and had its main missions in Makin Islands, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Truk, the Marianas, Palau Islands, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai, Hollandia, Saipan, and Ponape. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Baltimore received 9 battle stars.
The effects produced by long-term asbestos exposure are permanent and irreversible. When those brave young men and women signed on the dotted line to serve in the United States Armed Forces, they didn’t know that one of their most dangerous enemies would be a near-microscopic mineral. When breathed in, asbestos fibers can cause scarring of the lungs which might lead to the development of lung cancer.