The USS Kenneth D. Bailey (DD-713/DDR-713), a Gearing-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II, was launched on 17 June 1945 by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey; sponsored by Elizabeth Speissegger Bailey, widow of Major Bailey; and commissioned on 31 July 1945, Commander G. H. Richards, Jr., in command. Working out of Newport, Rhode Island, and Norfolk, Virginia, the ship served as a plane guard during the qualification of pilots in aircraft carrier operations and trained men for the crews of new destroyers. It was decommissioned on 20 January 1970, struck on 1 February 1974, and subsequently sold to Iran on 13 January 1975 for spare parts. Asbestos has previously been used for many years for insulation purposes in industries such as shipbuilding. Asbestos-related diseases occur when the material’s fibers are inhaled into the lungs. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, and the more intense and longer the exposure, the higher risk for injury. Matters are complicated by the fact that the effects of exposure to asbestos are not always immediately apparent.
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