The USS Damon M. Cummings (DE-643) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on October 17, 1943, and launched on April 18, 1944. It was commissioned on June 29, 1944, under Lt. Comdr. C. R. Millett’s command with the hull number DE-643 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on February 3, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in Eniwetok, Florida, Manus, Okinawa, Ulithi, Saipan, San Pedro Bay, Tsingtao, the Marianas, and Shanghai. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on March 1, 1972. One year later, on May 18, 1973, the ship was sold for scrapping. Asbestos has been sprayed for soundproofing and fireproofing in engine and boiler rooms and also used within walls, floors, and ceilings in sleeping areas and other parts of Navy vessels. This form of asbestos is highly friable and highly dangerous if damaged or in poor condition, and has a high asbestos content of around 90 percent.
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