The USS Wyman (DE-38) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort laid down on September 7, 1942, and launched on June 3, the following year. It was commissioned on September 1, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland's command with the hull number DE-38 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on December 21, 1945. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 198 people on board and had its main missions in Pearl Harbor, the Marianas, the Marshalls, Okinawa, Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam, Ulithi, Iwo Jima, and San Francisco. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on January 8, 1946, and sold for scrapping to the National Metal and Steel Company in Terminal Island the following year. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Wyman received 6 battle stars. Shipyard workers involved in the manufacturing of ships often receive extremely high exposure to asbestos, making them quite vulnerable to diseases caused by it. Before the inherent health risks of asbestos were officially acknowledged in the mid-1970s, these ship workers and Navy personnel came in close contact with asbestos while using it to insulate many parts of the ship including boilers, incinerators, and steam pipes.
760-621-6147
