The USS Buck (DD-761) was an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer laid down on February 1, 1944, and launched on March 11, the following year. It was commissioned on June 28, 1946 under Comdr. H. H. Nielsen’s command with the hull number DD-761 and served in the US Navy for 27 years until it was struck from the Naval Register on July 15, 1973. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 336 people on board and had its main missions in Acapulco, Mexico, Ketchikan, San Diego, and Hawaii. After the striking, the ship was sold to Brazil on July 16, 1973 where it was renamed Alagoas. For the services brought to the country during the Korean War, the USS Buck (DD-761) received 6 battle stars.
Any service member on this or any similar Navy vessel commissioned before 1980 was likely exposed to asbestos. It is tragically ironic that the brave people who fought for our country during World War II survived the risks associated with military conflict in hostile enemy territory only to now face life-threatening illnesses such as lung cancer and asbestosis from the hidden danger of exposure to asbestos while on active duty.
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