The USS Underhill (DE-682) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on September 16, 1943, and launched on October 15, the same year. It was commissioned on November 15, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. Sidney R. Jackson’s command with the hull number DE-682 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it sank on July 24, 1945. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and it had its main missions in Bermuda, Guantanamo Bay, Trinidad, Jamaica, Miami, Maine, and Bizerte. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on September 1, 1945. Between World War II and the late 1970s, asbestos was the main ingredient in steam pipes, liners on boiler tank interiors, floor, ceiling, and wall protection in boiler rooms, and pipe wraps on delivery systems, valves, and pumps. Those working on Navy ships have come into contact with the dangerous material at some point during their military service.
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