The USS LeHardy (DE-20) was an Evarts-class destroyer escort laid down on April 15, 1942, and launched on November 21, the same year. It was commissioned on May 15, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. J. H. Prause’s command with the hull number DE-20 and served in the U.S. Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on October 25, 1945. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 198 people on board and had its main missions in Pearl Harbor, the Marshalls, Kwajalein, San Pedro, Eniwetok, the Gilberts, and Funafuti. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 13, 1945, and sold for scrapping the following year. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS LeHardy received 2 battle stars. Asbestos fibers are harmful because they are small and can pass through the body's natural filtration system and can lodge themselves inside the lungs, leading to cancer forming between 10 and 40 years after the initial exposure. Asbestos can be found in flange gaskets, valves, machinery, deck and bulkhead insulation, pipe lagging, and electric cables, among other parts of a ship.
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