The USS Pennewill (DE-175) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort laid down on April 26, 1943, and launched on August 8, the same year. It was commissioned on September 15, 1943, under Lt. John Edward Allen’s command with the hull number DE-175 and served in the U.S. Navy for 1 year until it was decommissioned on August 1, 1944. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 216 men on board and had its main missions in Trinidad, Brazil, Recife, San Juan, Bahia, and the West Indies. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on July 20, 1953, and transferred to Brazil the same year where it was renamed Bertioga. A few years later, in 1964, the ship was scrapped. Because of its resistance to chemicals, heat, electricity, and corrosion, asbestos became popular as an insulator for steam engines and turbines that power the propulsion and support systems of Navy vessels. It’s when you disturb asbestos, shaking up its fibers, and letting its particles begin to permeate the air that potential risks emerge. This can happen during repair jobs performed regularly on Navy ships.
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