The USS Forrest (DD-461/DMS-24), a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy, was launched on 14 June 1941 by Boston Navy Yard; and commissioned on 13 January 1942, with Lieutenant Commander M. Van Metre in command. Between 2 December 1942 and 27 March 1943, the ship served in coastal and Gulf of Mexico escort duties as well as screening Ranger to an ocean launching point off Casablanca. The USS Forrest (DD-461/DMS-24) sailed from Okinawa on 25 June 1945 for the east coast, reaching Boston on 6 August 1945. There it was decommissioned on 30 November 1945 and sold on 20 November 1946. When airborne fibers of asbestos, a material with excellent insulating qualities, enter the lungs, it becomes hazardous. Many veterans have developed severe respiratory illnesses as a result of asbestos exposure during the shipbuilding process, the maintenance, or the reconditioning of a ship. Veterans who have developed diseases as a result of asbestos exposure while serving in the US Navy are eligible to make a claim that would likely result in compensation if it can be proved that the condition was caused by asbestos exposure while serving in the US Navy.
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