The USS Cowie (DD-632) (later DMS-39), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was launched on 27 September 1941 Liberty Fleet Day at the Boston Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. C. R. Robinson; and commissioned on 1 June 1942, with Lieutenant Commander C. J. Whiting in command. The USS Cowie (DD-632) was overhauled at New York after escorting a convoy to Belfast, Northern Ireland, between September 5 and September 30, 1943. It completed 18 transatlantic trips to UK and Mediterranean ports before entering Boston Navy Yard on 5 May 1945 for conversion to a high-speed minesweeper. The ship was stricken from the naval register on 1 December 1970 and sold on 22 February 1972. Since asbestos was heavily employed by U.S. shipyards during the middle of the last century, it was also found in massive quantities and in a variety of locations on the USS Cowie (DD-632), including boiler rooms, engine rooms, navigation rooms, weapons, and ammunition storage rooms, and even mess halls and sleeping quarters. Navy veterans who served full-time and were not dismissed dishonorably may seek compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. They may also be able to receive compensation from one or more of the trust funds set up for asbestos victims and their families.
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