The USS McMorris (DE-1036) was a Claud Jones-class destroyer escort laid down on November 15, 1958, and launched on May 26, 1959. It was commissioned on March 4, 1960, under Lt. Comdr. Martin Zenni’s command with the hull number DE-1036 and served in the U.S. Navy for 14 years until it decommissioned on December 16, 1974. During its activity, the ship had its main missions in Pearl Harbor, Vietnam, Hawaii, the North Pacific, the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, Australia, and New Zealand. After the decommissioning, the ship was transferred to Indonesia where it was renamed KRI Ngurah (D-344). The ship was active within the Indonesian waters until January 2, 2003, when it was decommissioned. Regular maintenance of hot water and steam pipes, incinerators, and boilers emitted asbestos dust and fibers into the air as repairs frequently required disturbance of asbestos insulation. Navy veterans heavily exposed to asbestos on ships are entitled to disability compensation when they are discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, and their disease is incurred or aggravated in the line of duty as a result of military asbestos exposure.
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