The USS Champlin (DD-601) was a Benson-class destroyer launched on July 25, 1942. It was commissioned on September 12, the same year under Lt. Comdr. C. L. Melson’s command with the hull number DD-601 and served in the US Navy for 5 years until it was decommissioned on January 31, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 252 people on board and had its main missions in Argentia, Panama, New York, Azores, Boston, Gibraltar, and Bermuda. After the decommissioning, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1972. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Champlin received 6 battle stars.
Asbestos, a generic name given to a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals, has become in the last decades the focus of concern and attention from the public health community, due to the health effects caused by long-term exposures. Veterans of the U.S. Navy are considered to have the biggest risk of exposure to asbestos during the building, maintenance, repair or demolition of ships, as well as through day-to-day service on vessels, where asbestos-based products where present nearly everywhere.
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