The USS Quincy (CA-39) was a New Orleans-class cruiser laid down on November 15, 1933, and launched on June 19, 1935. It was commissioned on June 9, the following year under Capt. William Faulkner Amsden’s command as CA-39 and served in the U.S. Navy for 6 years until it sank in the Battle of Savo Island on August 9, 1942. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 766 people on board and had its main missions in Boston, Marseilles, Villefranche, Panama, Brazil, Uruguay, Pearl Harbor, Argentina, and Guadalcanal. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Quincy received 1 battle star. From the 1930s through the 1980s, asbestos products were heavily used in the U.S. Navy. Asbestos was known for its heat-resistant and insulating properties, and it allowed military personnel to protect themselves and their equipment from the risk of fire. Thousands of veterans breathed in asbestos fibers every day, without knowing the harm they could cause 10 to 40 years later. Veterans who were exposed to asbestos while serving in the U.S. Navy between World War II and the late 1970s and subsequently developed a disease are eligible for compensation from the VA and from asbestos trust funds.
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