The USS Fowler (DE-222) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on April 5, 1943, and launched on July 3, the same year. It was commissioned on March 15, 1944, under Lt. Comdr. G. S. Forde’s command with the hull number DE-222 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on June 28, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in New York, Norfolk, Boston, Gibraltar, Oran, northern Africa, and New London. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on July 1, 1965. One year and a half later, on December 29, 1966, the ship was sold for scrapping. Navy veterans who worked directly with the installation, repair, and running of engines, boilers, pumps, and generators may be at greater risk of developing asbestos-related diseases as these roles on the naval vessels often required them to handle asbestos materials directly. In addition to their VA disability benefits claims, those Navy veterans now suffering from asbestos-related illnesses may still have other financial remedies available, namely through one or more of the established asbestos trust funds.
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