The USS McCalla (DD-488), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was laid down on 15 September 1941 by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey, and launched on 20 March 1942; sponsored by Mary MacArthur. The ship was commissioned on 27 May 1942, with Lieutenant Commander W. G. Cooper, in command. The USS McCalla (DD-488) undertook its first war assignment, escorting a New York-bound convoy from Cape May, New Jersey, on 19 July 1942. In the spring of 1949, the ship sailed for Turkey where it was decommissioned on 29 April 1949, transferred to the Turkish Navy, and recommissioned the same day as TCG Giresun (D 345). Asbestos is a mineral fiber that naturally occurs in rock and soil. Due to its sturdy properties, asbestos was heavily used in shipbuilding between World War II and the late-1970s, which is why so many Navy personnel developed asbestos-related diseases later in life. Asbestos can be hazardous to human health because microscopic particles are biologically persistent, and can be inhaled. Its exposure is linked to higher rates of cancer and incurable asbestos-related illnesses.
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