The USS Shannon (DD-737/DM-25/MMD-25) was a Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayer laid down on February 14, 1944, as DD-737 and launched on June 24, the same year as DM-25. It was commissioned on September 8, 1944, under Comdr. E. L. Foster’s command and served in the US Navy for 11 years until it was decommissioned on October 24, 1955. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 363 people on board and had its main missions in Bermuda, Norfolk, Hawaii, Saipan, Okinawa, Kerama Retto, and Iwo Jima. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1970, and sold for scrapping in 1973. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Shannon received 4 battle stars.
If you served in the Navy as a shipyard worker or Navy’s official military personnel when asbestos was in use, you may be at great risk of developing asbestos-related diseases due to the large amounts of asbestos products used throughout the ships. Most of the equipment that kept ships seaworthy was made of mixtures containing large amounts of asbestos. The sailors were required to regularly inspect and repair these components which released dangerous fibers into the air.