The USS Bancroft (DD-598) was a Benson-class destroyer launched on December 31, 1941. It was commissioned on April 30, the following year under Lt. Comdr. J. L. Melgaard’s command with the hull number DD-598 and served in the US Navy for 4 years until it was decommissioned on February 1, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 276 people on board and had its main missions in Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands, Attu, Kiska, Kwajalein, Okinawa, and Japan. After the decommissioning, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1973. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Bancroft received 8 battle stars.
Many workers in marine engineering and ship maintenance were likely to have come into contact with asbestos fibers or dust during military service. People who worked in shipbuilding yards decades ago are now at risk of lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and pleural thickening.
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