The USS Durant (DE-389/WDE-489/DER-389) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on May 15, 1943, and launched on August 3, the same year. It was commissioned on November 16, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. C. C. Knapp’s command with the hull number DE-389 and served in the U.S. Navy for 21 years until it was decommissioned in June 1964. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 209 people on board and had its main missions in Norfolk, Boston, Pearl Harbor, Guantanamo Bay, San Diego, San Francisco, and Florida. After the decommissioning, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1974. Health specialists determined that the inhalation of asbestos particles can lead to a variety of serious and deadly health conditions. The companies that manufactured and marketed asbestos-containing products realized the potential dangers of asbestos long before the general public did, needlessly risking the lives of those who were exposed to the fibers, including Navy veterans.
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