The USS Sellstrom (DE-255) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on March 16, 1943, and launched on May 12, the same year. It was commissioned on October 12, 1943, under Lt. Cmdr. William L. Maloney’s command as DE-255 and served in the U.S. Navy for 17 years until it was decommissioned in June 1960. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 209 people on board and had its main missions in Texas, Norfolk, Bermuda, Panama Canal, Newfoundland, Derry, Belfast, New York, Pearl Harbor, and Adak. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1965, and sold to Peck Iron Metal Works at Portsmouth in 1967. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Sellstrom received one battle star. Because of its fire and corrosive-resistant properties, asbestos was heavily used nearly in every part of each ship from bow to stern between World War II and the late 1970s. However, the benefits of using asbestos do not outweigh the fact that if asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they can become trapped in the lungs or digestive tract - making it impossible for the body’s immune system to break down.
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