The USS Kendrick (DD-612) was a Benson-class destroyer launched on April 2, 1942. It was commissioned on September 12, the following year under Lt. Comdr. C. T. Caufield’s command with the hull number DD-612 and served in the US Navy for 5 years until it was decommissioned on March 31, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 256 people on board and had its main missions in San Diego, New York, Casablanca, Oran, Sicily, Scoglitti and southern France. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on May 1, 1966. Like virtually all ships built from the early 1940s through the late 1970s, the USS Kendrick (DD-612) was constructed using many asbestos-containing components. Asbestos was used for insulation of steam and hot water pipes, boilers, and tanks in machinery space, in joiner bulkhead systems in living space, in ceiling tiles, and in fire-resistant sheets in bulkheads. After 1973 when new specifications by the Maritime Administration reduced the use of asbestos on ships, the hazardous mineral was only permitted in insulation cement in lagging for machinery casings and in lagging cloth. Potential asbestos exposures occur when workers disturb these materials during maintenance and repair activities.
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