The HMAS Perth was a Perth-class guided-missile destroyer laid down on September 21, 1962, and launched on September 26, one year later. It was commissioned on July 17, 1965, with the hull number D-38 and served in the US Navy for 34 years until it was decommissioned on October 15, 1999. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 333 people on board and had its main missions in Vietnam, Africa, New Zealand or Australia. For the services brought to the country during the Vietnam War, the HMAS Perth (D-38) received 1 battle honor plus eight inherited honors, the Navy Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. Asbestos was omnipresent several decades ago in the shipyard industry. All the ships that were being in construction were lined with asbestos mixtures as a way of insulating them, exploiting the cheap and plenty mineral. Consequently, it came as no surprise to find out that thousands of people who have been employed in the Navy reported asbestos-related illnesses decades after the exposure to the hazardous mineral. Because asbestos was present throughout the ships where they worked, these people were permanently in direct contact with asbestos materials, as they were used in the construction process for its insulation capacity.
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