The USS Ericsson (DD-440), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was launched on 23 November 1940 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny, New Jersey; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth E. Wallgren, great-great-grandniece of John Ericsson. The ship was commissioned on 13 March 1941, with Lieutenant Commander G. E. Sage in command. The ship participated in operations along the East Coast and Bermuda, training Naval Reserve midshipmen, exercising with submarines, making tests of her equipment and machinery, and joining in battle practice. The ship was decommissioned on 15 March 1946 and placed in reserve. It received three battle stars for World War II service. Those who are most at risk of asbestos exposure, and therefore most at risk for the development of mesothelioma, are those who have been directly exposed to asbestos in their place of work. This includes enginemen, boilermen, electricians, firemen, hull maintenance technicians, welders, damage-control men, shipfitters, pipefitters, machinery repairmen, storekeepers, rocket-engine component mechanics, seamen, flight deck supervisors, merchant sailors, cryptologic technicians, radiomen, and sonar technicians.
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