The USS Doran (DD-634), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was launched on 10 December 1941 by Boston Navy Yard; and commissioned on 4 August 1942, with Lieutenant Commander H. W. Gordon in command. The ship departed from Norfolk, Virginia on 23 October 1942, screening ships in preparation for the 8 November assault landings at Safi, French Morocco. It escorted two convoys to Oran from 13 January to 26 April 1945 and then started the conversion to a high-speed minesweeper in Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was put in reserve at San Diego on 29 January 1947. Anyone who worked aboard a US Navy ship before 1980 is likely to have been exposed to asbestos at some point. Asbestos fibers enter the lungs via inhalation and remain within the body, constantly damaging the tissue. It typically takes 20 to 30 years before symptoms of diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer appear. Navy veterans who were exposed to asbestos while serving in the military and developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses may be eligible for compensation from one or more of the trust funds established for victims of asbestos exposure, as well other types of assistance from the VA.
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