The USS Hill (DE-141) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on December 21, 1942, and launched on February 28, the following year. It was commissioned on August 16, 1943, under Lt. Cmdr. G. R. Keating’s command as DE-141 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on June 7, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 209 people on board and had its main missions in Panama Canal, New York, Bahia, Argentia, Casablanca, Bermuda, New England, Azores, Cape Town, Hampton Roads, and Pearl Harbor. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on October 1, 1972, and sold for scrapping in 1974. Shipbuilding has a long proud, history of innovation and craftsmanship. However, from the not-so-distant past, shipbuilding also leaves another legacy: life-threatening conditions from asbestos exposure. Without the benefit of proper respiratory gear or clothing, shipyard workers and Navy personnel working on, or in close proximity to the ships suffered asbestos exposure, putting them and their families at risk of developing serious health conditions.
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