The USS Kimberly (DD-521) was a Fletcher-class destroyer laid down on July 27, 1942, and, launched on February 4, the following year. It was commissioned on May 22, 1943, under Comdr. Harry W. Smith’s command with the hull number DD-521 and it served in the US Navy for 11 years before it was decommissioned on January 15, 1954. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 336 people on board and had its main missions in Tokyo Bay, Guantanamo Bay, Luzon, Kurile, Manus, Leyte, Attu, Okinawa, Charleston and San Francisco. It was struck from the Navy List on January 25, 1974, although it was loaned prior to Taiwan in 1967 where it was renamed ROCS An Yang DD-18. For the service brought to the country during World War II, the USS Kimberly received 5 battle stars and another 1 for the Korean service. The most common asbestos-containing materials used at shipyards include pipe covering insulation, boiler, and furnace insulation, gaskets, paint, floor, ceiling, and wall insulation, turbines, and pumps. Our brave veterans who served onboard navy ships were exposed to asbestos without knowing of its hazards, discovering too late that it caused their mesothelioma or other forms of cancer.
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