The USS Jaccard (DE-355) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort laid down on January 25, 1944, and launched on March 18, the same year. It was commissioned on July 26, 1944, under Lt. Cmdr. C. R. Hamilton’s command as DE-355 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on September 30, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 215 people on board and had its main missions in Okinawa, Norfolk, Panama Canal, Hollandia, Manus, Manila, Subic Bay, Boston, Hampton Roads, and Leyte. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1967, and used as a target ship during training exercises the following year. Oceangoing vessels built and used between World War II and the late 1970s were designed to withstand extreme forces in some of the planet’s most difficult environments, and they’re often constructed with toxic materials, such as asbestos. Navy personnel may just now be developing life-threatening conditions caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos in the past. Jobs that carry a high risk of asbestos exposure include shipbuilders, shipbreakers, plumbers, pipefitters, boiler operators, gunner’s mates, damage controlmen, electricians, and firemen.
760-621-6147
