The USS J. William Ditter (DD-751/DM-31) was a Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayer launched on July 4, 1944. It was commissioned on October 28, the same year under Comdr. R. R. Sampson’s command with the hull number DD-751 and served in the US Navy for 5 years until it was decommissioned on September 28, 1945. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 336 people on board and had its main missions in Norfolk, Eniwetok, Ulithi, Bermuda, Okinawa, Kerama Retto, and San Diego. After the decommissioning, the ship was sold for scrapping in 1946. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS J. William Ditter received 1 battle star. Rigid pre-formed asbestos pipe covering type was a type of insulation used extensively by the US Navy in its World War II construction of ships. Cutting or sawing asbestos-containing products exposed shipyard workers to dangerous dust and fibers. Being exposed to asbestos can lead to asbestos-related diseases including asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening, benign asbestos pleural effusions, and rounded atelectasis.
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