The USS Duncan (DD-874) was a Gearing-class destroyer laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation in 1944 and launched in the same year. The ship was commissioned in 1945 and converted to a radar picket destroyer during her overhaul after shakedown. She sailed for the Pacific for screening and plane guard duty during the strikes on Wake Island and joined the 7th Fleet for patrol duty off the Chinese and Korean coasts until 1946, when she returned to the States. In 1948, the destroyer suffered an explosion on board and, after repairs, rejoined the Fleet for training until 1949, sailing for the Pacific after that. The following year, the ship was reclassified DDR-874 and steamed into Korean waters to join the 7th Fleet for her third tour of Korea during the fighting. Between 1960 and 1961, the vessel entered the FRAM program and underwent extensive overhaul and modernization. The USS Duncan was decommissioned in 1971, struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1974, and sunk as a target in 1980. People who served in the Navy until the mid-1970s have a heightened risk of developing health problems due to asbestos exposure. Honorably discharged veterans are eligible for VA benefits and can file for compensation with the asbestos trust funds.
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