The USS Charles Lawrence (DE-53/APD-37) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on August 1, 1942, and launched on February 16, 1943. It was commissioned on May 31, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. L. S. Kintberger’s command with the hull number DE-53 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on June 21, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in the West Indian oil ports, Northern Ireland, Pearl Harbor, Ulithi, Okinawa, Hagushi, the Philippines, Manus, and the Inland Sea. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Naval Register on September 1, 1964. Asbestos is a mineral that has natural properties that make it an excellent and inexpensive fire retardant. As such, it was added to many shipbuilding products to make them perform better with peak use between the 1940s through the 1970s. When asbestos-containing material is improperly handled, disturbed, or worn away with equipment use, tiny hazardous fibers are released into the air and may cause lung cancer and other illnesses.
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