The USS Vogelgesang (DD-862) was a Gearing-class destroyer laid down in 1944, launched, and commissioned in 1945. After commissioning, the ship completed shakedown training and then assisted in training destroyer nucleus crews. During her first two years, she operated along the East Coast and in the West Indies, participating in exercises with Atlantic Fleet units. Beginning in 1947, the destroyer conducted regular Mediterranean deployments with the Sixth Fleet and allied navies. In the 1950s, she alternated Mediterranean cruises with Atlantic operations, including a 1956 midshipman training voyage to Europe. By 1957, deployments expanded into the Indian Ocean with visits to Aden, Massawa, Bahrain, and Abadan in Iran. The vessel also supported early US space missions, assisting recovery operations for Project Mercury and later Project Gemini. After modernization, she served in the Vietnam War in 1966, earning two battle stars. In 1974, she transferred to Naval Reserve training duty and remained a training platform until decommissioning in 1982. The USS Vogelgesang was stricken from the Register in the same year. Although manufacturers knew asbestos was toxic, sailors aboard ships built before the 1980s were never warned. As a result, many veterans developed asbestos-related diseases decades after service.
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