The USS Heyliger (DE-510) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort laid down on April 27, 1944, and launched on August 6, the same year. It was commissioned on March 24, 1945, under Lt. Cmdr. Arthur F. Chace’s command as DE-510 and served in the U.S. Navy for 9 years until it was decommissioned on January 2, 1958. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 215 people on board and had its main missions in Norfolk, Green Cove Springs, Pearl Harbor, Panama, San Diego, Guam, Rota Island, the Marianas, the Carolines, and Brooklyn. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on May 1, 1966, and used as a target ship during the training exercises in 1969. The high demand for asbestos in the shipbuilding industry was caused by the fact that it was a very reliable fire-retardant and it was relatively inexpensive, making it perfect for fireproofing ships and submarines. Any place or component in the vessels that needed heat resistance contained asbestos, including weapons and ammunition storage rooms, engine rooms, boiler rooms, cables, gaskets, and valves, mess halls, navigation rooms, sleeping quarters, motors, compressors, pipes, and pumps, wall, and flooring insulation.
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