The USS Vammen (DE-644) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on August 1, 1943, and launched on May 21, 1944. It was commissioned four times, the first time on July 27, 1944, under Lt. Comdr. L. M. King’s command with the hull number DE-644 and served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years until it was decommissioned for the last time on July 12, 1969. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Funafuti, Espiritu Santo, the Marshalls, Ulithi, Kossol Roads, the Palaus, Leyte, Okinawa, and San Pedro Bay. It also participated in the Korean War. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on July 12, 1969. Between World War II and the late-1970 asbestos was commonly used for insulating boilers, hot water tanks, and hot water and steam pipes. It was sprayed or used as loose fibers, also known as fluff form. It was also used as a cloth wrap for other non-asbestos insulating products. Insulation of this type is highly friable and dangerous and can contain over 80 percent asbestos.
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