The USS Connolly (DE-306) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort laid down on June 21, 1943, and launched on January 15, the following year. It was commissioned on July 8, 1944, under Lt. Cmdr. W. A. Collier’s command as DE-306, and served in the U.S. Navy for one year until it was decommissioned on November 22, 1945. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 198 people on board and had its main missions in Iwo Jima, Espiritu Santo, Okinawa, Hagushi, Ulithi, Nansei Shoto, Leyte, Manila, Eniwetok, Pearl Harbor, and San Pedro. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on December 19, 1945, and sold for scrapping in 1946. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Connolly received 2 battle stars. During the middle of the 20th century, asbestos was incorporated into nearly every aspect of shipbuilding. The enlisted personnel aboard naval vessels was exposed to asbestos dust at some time. Many of these workers developed asbestos-related cancers such as mesothelioma, bronchial cancer, lung cancer as well as non-cancerous conditions such as pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening, benign asbestos pleural effusions, and rounded atelectasis.
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