The USS Dennis (DE-405) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort laid down on September 15, 1943, and launched on December 4, the same year. It was commissioned on March 20, 1944, under Lt. Cmdr. Sigurd Hansen’s command as DE-405 and served in the U.S. Navy for two years until it was decommissioned on May 31, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 215 people on board and had its main missions in Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Kwajalein, Morotai, Leyte, Manus, Samar, Kossol Roads, and San Diego. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on December 1, 1972, and sold for scrapping the following year. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Dennis received 4 battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. Asbestos is a natural mineral product that is resistant to heat and corrosion. It was used extensively by the US Navy in its World War II construction of ships. Some of its more common uses were pipe and duct insulation, fire-retardant materials, cement, adhesive-like glue and fillers, electrical cable material and fuses, friction material of brakes, deck covers, and other equipment and materials.