The USS Falgout (DER-324) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on May 24, 1943, and launched on July 24, the same year. It was commissioned on November 15, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. H. A. Meyer’s command with the hull number DE-324 and served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years until it was decommissioned on October 10, 1969. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 209 people on board and had its main missions in Bermuda, New York, Norfolk, Algiers, Costa Rica, Seattle, Charleston, North Africa, Pearl Harbor, and Florida. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on June 1, 1975, and used as a target ship during training exercises in 1977. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Falgout received one battle star. The asbestos-containing products used onboard ships served to insulate and provide fireproof alternatives to previous materials. Some applications included pipe covering to insulate turbines, engines, hot steam pipes, hot water lines, fuel lines, and other equipment that reaches extreme temperatures. Asbestos could also be found on ships in brakes, boilers, gaskets, valves, adhesives, flooring, and lagging.
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