The USS Fechteler (DE-157) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on February 7, 1943, and launched on April 22, the same year. It was commissioned on July 1, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. C. R. Simmers’ command with the hull number DE-157 and served in the U.S. Navy for one year until it sank on May 5, 1944. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in New York, the Netherlands, North Africa, the Azores, and Northern Ireland. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the ship received one battle star. Asbestos was once highly regarded for its heat resistance and fireproofing capabilities. This made the substance a valuable tool for all five branches of the military, especially the Navy. Asbestos is fire-resistant and has been widely used as an insulation material including for boilers, pipework, and bulkheads in U.S. Navy ships before, during, and after the Second World War until the early 1980s.
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