The USS Conolly (DD-979) was a Spruance-class destroyer laid down in 1975, launched in 1977, and commissioned in 1978. Between 1980 and 1992, the ship played a key operational role in multiple global missions: she was deployed twice with the Middle East Force, participated in UNITAS XXIV, an annual exercise with partner navies in South America, and was the flagship for the COMSOLANT cruise. From 1993 to 1998, the destroyer sailed to assist Operation Support Democracy in Haiti, deployed to the Arabian Peninsula, conducted Maritime Interception Operations in the Red Sea, and participated in numerous NATO exercises and operations. She was later tasked with escorting USS Guam (LPH-9), USS Trenton (LPD-14), and USS Portland (LSD-37) from the Adriatic Sea to Liberia in support of Joint Task Force Assured Response. Her several other historic missions included Operation Sharp Guard and deployments with the USS George Washington carrier battle group. The USS Connoly was decommissioned and stricken from the Register in 1998. From the 1930s to the 1970s, the U.S. Navy required the use of asbestos in ships. Despite later revisions, Spruance-class destroyers still had asbestos in some components because earlier-ordered parts were still included, potentially exposing the ship’s personnel.
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