The USS Wyoming (BB-32) was a Wyoming-class battleship laid down on February 9, 1910, and launched on May 25, the following year. It was commissioned on September 25, 1912, with the hull number BB-32, and served in the US Navy for 35 years until it was decommissioned on August 1, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 1,063 men on board and had its main missions in Hampton Roads, San Diego, Valletta, Naples, Villefranche, Brest, Casco Bay, and Cuba. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy Register on December 16, 1947, and subsequently sold for scrapping.
Because of its thermal insulation and fire-resistant properties, asbestos was used, particularly in boiler rooms, engine rooms, navigation rooms, weapons and ammunition storage rooms, and even mess halls and sleeping quarters. During maintenance and repair jobs inevitable for the good functioning of the vessel, asbestos breaks into fine fibers, which can be suspended in the air for long periods of time. If inhaled, these fibers can lead to fatal diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, the symptoms of which are not apparent for many years.
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