The USS Cone (DD-866) was a Gearing-class destroyer laid down on November 30, 1944, and launched on May 10, the following year. It was commissioned on August 18, 1945, with the hull number DD-866 and it served in the US Navy for 37 years before it was struck from the Navy List on October 1, 1982. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 367 people on board and had its main missions in San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Lisbon, Naples, Hong Kong, Norfolk, Korea, Savannah, Charleston, and Villefranche. It was transferred to Pakistan on October 1, 1982, where it was renamed Alamgir.
Until the late 1970s, asbestos was the popular choice because of its acknowledged resistance to high temperatures and accessibility. The U.S. military in general and the Navy especially were known to have used asbestos-embedded materials in the shipbuilding and repairing processes. The mineral in question was especially dangerous for the personnel working in narrow spaces, like the rooms located below the deck because of the poor ventilation in those areas.