The USS Foreman (DE-633) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on March 9, 1943, and launched on August 1, the same year. It was commissioned on October 22, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. C. A. Manston’s command with the hull number DE-633 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on June 28, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in Funafuti, the Solomons, New Guinea, Leyte, Sydney, Hollandia, Kossol Roads, Eniwetok, Majuro, and Ulithi. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on April 1, 1965. One year later, in 1966 the ship was sold for scrapping. Serving in the U.S. Navy can be quite dangerous during wartime – they had one of the highest estimated casualty rates during World War II – but sadly, many Navy veterans are now realizing that their service may also have deadly consequences in the form of asbestos-related illnesses. It is possible that even at the time of decommissioning asbestos could be found in the ships’ insulation and lagging – meaning sailors serving on these vessels likely had to live with the ever-present danger of possible asbestos exposure.
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