The USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668), a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, was launched on 18 April 1943 by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J., sponsored by Mrs. W. P. Richardson; and commissioned on 11 June 1943, with Commander W. S. Veeder in command. The ship reached Pearl Harbor on 21 November 1943 for final training, remaining in Hawaiian waters aside from a single escort voyage to Tarawa, until January 1944, when it joined the Fast Carrier Task Force. On 11 April 1960, it was placed in commission in reserve at Orange, Tex., and on 29 June 1960 was decommissioned. The USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668) was transferred to Turkey on 14 January 1967 and served in the Turkish Navy. Prized for its durability and heat resistance, asbestos was a cheap and effective material in the making of insulation, boilers, pipes, and more. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can lead to serious respiratory diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. The shipbuilding industry relied heavily on asbestos because of its heat resistance and fire prevention abilities. Shipyard workers who built and maintained ships were exposed to asbestos while painting, welding, doing electrical work, insulating, and other such duties.
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