The USS McKean II (DD-784) was a Gearing-class destroyer laid down in 1944, launched, and commissioned in 1945. After shakedown, the ship departed to support post-war operations in Japan. Following the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, she joined the 7th Fleet and participated in the Inchon landing operation. In 1952, the destroyer underwent a conversion and was reclassified as a radar picket destroyer (DDR-784). In subsequent years, the vessel conducted patrols from Japan to the Asian coast, was deployed to the Southwest Pacific and Australia, and resumed patrols in the Taiwan Strait. In 1964, she underwent a FRAM I conversion and was reclassified as DD-784. The destroyer deployed to Southeast Asia with Destroyer Squadron in 1965. She began duty with the Seventh Fleet and participated in the Vietnam shore bombardments. In 1968, she returned to the Western Pacific, joining Operation Formation Star in 1971 and the Seventh Fleet and the reserve naval forces in 1972. The USS McKean was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list in 1981. Many Navy jobs involved a risk of asbestos exposure due to direct contact with the material. Veterans who developed cancer stemming from in-service exposure may qualify for compensation from asbestos trust funds and the VA.
760-621-6147
