The USS Carter (DE-112) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort laid down on November 19, 1943, and launched on February 29, the next year. It was commissioned on May 3, 1944, under Lt. Comdr. F. J. T. Baker’s command with the hull number DE-112 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on April 10, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 216 men on board and had its main missions in Jamaica, Boston, Derry, Bizerte, Maine, Bizerte, Florida, and Oran. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy Register on February 10, 1949, and transferred to the Republic of China where it was renamed Tai Chao (DE-26). Asbestos exposure is dangerous because the harmful fibers cannot be seen or smelled. Although these asbestos fibers are normally bundled tightly together, they are somewhat fragile, and through handling or damage, these fibers can break free. The fibers are light enough to float like dust particles, and like dust, they can enter the nose through the breathed air, and then they can get into the deep parts of the lungs, where they can cause irreversible damage.