The USS Bivin (DE-536) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort laid down on November 3, 1943, and launched on December 7, the same year. It was commissioned on October 31, 1944, under Lt. Cmdr. M. Kelly’s command as DE-536 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on January 15, 1947. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 215 people onboard and had its main missions in Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands, Boston, Kossol Roads, Palau Islands, Leyte, Hong Kong, and San Pedro. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on June 30, 1968, and used as a target ship during training exercises the following year. Navy veterans are the most at-risk group for developing asbestos cancer and mesothelioma of all the service sectors, mainly because fire at sea has always been such a frightening hazard. Asbestos was thought to be a miraculous fire-proof, insulating material that would increase fire safety onboard aircraft carriers, amphibious warships, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, escorts, frigates, minesweepers, submarines, auxiliary ships, and merchant marine ships built in the mid-20th century.
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