The USS Darke (APA-159) was a Haskell-class attack transport launched on August 29, 1944. It was commissioned on October 10, the same year under Capt. McF. W. Wood’s command, with the hull number APA-159 and it served in the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on April 17, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 536 people on board and had its main missions in California, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, Saipan, Okinawa, and Ulithi. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List and sold for scrapping to Union Metals & Alloys Corporation in 1974. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Darke received 2 battle stars.
It is estimated that 5 - 7% of all lung cancer cases today can be attributed to past occupational exposure to asbestos. The primary risk comes from breathing or ingesting asbestos particles or dust, which arise mostly from handling asbestos directly. This puts a number of groups at an elevated risk, including shipyard workers and Navy personnel who served on naval vessels between 1930 and 1980.
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