The USS Piedmont (AD-17) was a Dixie-class destroyer tender laid down on December 1, 1941, and launched on December 7, the following year. It was commissioned on January 5, 1944, under Cmdr. Malcolm D. MacGregor’s command with the hull number AD-17 and served in the U.S. Navy for 38 years until it was decommissioned on September 30, 1982. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 1,181 people on board and had its main missions in Tampa, Norfolk, Kaohsiung, Panama Canal, San Pedro, Pearl Harbor, Ulithi, and Leyte. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on August 6, 1987, and sold to Turkey where it was renamed Derya A-576. In 1995, the ship was scrapped.
Asbestos was used in almost every ship built by the U.S. Navy between the 1930s and mid-1970s, for its insulation and fire-retardant properties. Living with an asbestos-related disease is a burden for all veterans and their families, who experience a compromised quality of life. Sufferers of asbestos-related diseases or cancers may qualify for monetary compensation for their medical bills and emotional strain.
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