The USS Dealey (DE-1006) was a Dealey-class destroyer escort laid down on December 15, 1952, and launched on November 8, 1953. It was commissioned on June 3, 1954, under Lt. Comdr. R. H. Rossell’s command with the hull number DE-1006 and served in the U.S. Navy for 18 years until it was decommissioned on July 28, 1972. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 170 people on board and had its main missions in Rhode Island, Key West, Plymouth, Brest, Cherbourg, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Derry, Portugal, Venezuela, and Brazil. After the decommissioning, the ship was transferred to Uruguay where it was renamed ROU 18 De Julio (DE-3). The ship was active within the Uruguayan waters until 1991 when it was stricken and scrapped. Between World War II and the Korean War, the U.S. shipyards performed routine and battle damage repairs to Navy ships. Shipyard workers and Navy service members didn’t know that prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers can cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs, which leads to the development of cancer, as manufacturers of asbestos-based products hid the health risks of asbestos for decades.
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