The USS Monssen (DD-798) was a Fletcher-class destroyer laid down on June 1, 1943, and launched on October 30, the same year. It was commissioned on February 14, 1944, under Comdr. Bernhart A. Feutsch’s command with the hull number DD-798 and it served in the US Navy for 8 years before it was decommissioned on December 11, 1957. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 319 people on board and had its main missions in Luzon, Kurile, Manus, Leyte, Eniwetok, Okinawa, and San Francisco. It was struck from the Navy List on February 1, 1963, and sold for scrapping to the Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation in New York in 1963. For the service brought to the country during World War II, the USS Monssen (DD-798) received 8 battle stars.
Throughout most of the 20th Century, asbestos-containing materials were used on Navy ships for thermal and electrical resistance, and non-inflammability. Anyone who has worked onboard the USS Monssen should be on the alert for signs of asbestos-related diseases and consult a doctor immediately if they experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, persistent cough, and tightness in the chest.
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