The USS Newell (DE 322) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on April 5, 1943, and launched on June 29, the same year. It was commissioned on October 30, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. Russel J. Roberts’ command with the hull number DE-322 and served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years until it was decommissioned on September 21, 1968. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 209 people on board and had its main missions in Bermuda, Casablanca, the Panama Canal, Bizerte, Oran, and Algiers. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on September 23, 1968, and sold for scrapping in 1971. Navy veterans are particularly at risk for asbestos-related diseases because asbestos-containing materials were often used below decks where ventilation was poor. Its amazing strength and its unique heat-resistance qualities meant that asbestos found its way into nearly every part of a vessel including the engine rooms, machinery spaces, mess halls, navigation rooms, and sleeping quarters. When asbestos-containing material is disturbed and released into the air, if breathed in, can cause serious and often fatal diseases.
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