The USS Hopping (DE-155/APD-51) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on December 15, 1942, and launched on March 9, the next year. It was commissioned on May 21, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. F. D. Giambattista’s command with the hull number DE-155 and served in the U.S. Navy for 4 years until it was decommissioned on May 5, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in Bermuda, the United Kingdom, New York, Norfolk, Ireland, the Philippines, Kerama Retto, and Ulithi. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Naval Register in September 1964. Two years later, on August 15, 1966, the USS Hopping was sold to Boston Metals Company in Maryland. Regardless of their size or function, nearly all Navy ships built from the early 1940s through the late 1970s contained asbestos from bow to stern. As a result, Navy veterans have the highest risk of developing lung ailments. Many of these men worked in tight-fit and poorly ventilated areas on the ship such as boiler and engine rooms - where asbestos fibers may become airborne and inhaled.
760-621-6147
