The USS Bradford (DD-545) was a Fletcher-class destroyer laid down and launched in 1942, and commissioned in 1943. During WWII, the ship deployed across Pacific campaigns from 1943–1945, operated as a screening unit in TG 52.3, supported invasions, raids, and carrier operations. Following the assault on the Philippines, the destroyer sailed to Mare Island for overhaul, missing the Leyte and Luzon campaigns. She rejoined the war in February 1945 for the Iwo Jima operation, supporting the amphibious landings and screening transport ships. Upon returning to the US, the destroyer was decommissioned in 1946. Recommissioned in 1950, the vessel reported to the Pacific fleet and completed three Far Eastern tours during which she acted as a unit of TF 77 and TF 95 on duty off Korea. The destroyer completed six peacetime tours in the western Pacific between 1944 and 1960, and three more deployments to the Far East, and in between them operated from San Diego, carrying out extensive individual and unit training exercises. The USS Bradford was decommissioned in 1961 and transferred to Greece a year later. All Navy ships between the 1930s and 1980s were built with asbestos products, putting veterans at risk of developing severe conditions stemming from their exposure decades after service.
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