The USS Albert T. Harris (DE-447) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort laid down on January 13, 1944, and launched on April 16, the same year. It was commissioned on November 29, 1944, under Lt. Cmdr. Sidney King’s command as DE-447 and served in the US Navy for 13 years until it was decommissioned on September 21, 1968. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 215 people on board and had its main missions in San Diego, Panama, New York, Morotai, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Formosa. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on September 23, 1968, and sold for scrapping in 1969. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Albert T. Harris received 2 battle stars. Due to its excellent heat-retaining properties, asbestos was present in hundreds of applications including fireproofing, streamlines, pumps, boilers, condensers, wiring insulation, turbines, evaporators, distillers, deck material, and electrical components. A sailor stationed on a Navy vessel built from the 1930s to the 1970s could have had extreme asbestos exposure because many areas of the ships have contained asbestos, including boilers, turbine propulsion systems, reactors, engine rooms, or storage areas.
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