The USS Durik (DE-666) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on June 22, 1943, and launched on October 9, the same year. It was commissioned on March 24, 1944, under Comdr. K. B. Smith’s command with the hull number DE-666 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on June 15, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in New York, Casablanca, Bizerte, Palermo, Algeria, Miami, Mayport, and Guantanamo Bay. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on June 1, 1965. Two years later, in 1967 the ship was sold for scrapping.
Decades ago, asbestos was thought to be a safe substance to use in various materials and insulation aboard Navy ships. Its extensive use in the shipbuilding industry put thousands of Navy personnel living and working on these vessels at risk for exposure to asbestos and the development of asbestos-related diseases.
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