The USS Jenkins (DD-447), a Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny, New Jersey on 27 November 1941 and launched on 21 June 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Marion Parker Embry. The destroyer was commissioned on 31 July 1942, Lieutenant Commander H. F. Miller in command. Beginning service during World War II, the ship saw action in the Pacific theatre. It was placed in reserve following the end of the war, until 1951, when the ship was reactivated for the Korean War. It served in the western Pacific until 1969 when the destroyer was taken out of service and sold for scrap in 1971. The USS Jenkins (DD-447) operated in Hawaiian waters until entering U.S. Naval Shipyard at Pearl Harbor on 11 September for a major overhaul which was completed early in 1967. When a person is exposed to asbestos and breathes it in or swallows it, its fibers may become lodged in lung tissue or the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart. Once these fibers enter the body, they cause irritation, swelling, and scarring. They even may change the genetic make-up of the cells, leading to cancer development. Asbestos exposure has been linked to mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural disorders, and other health problems.
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