The USS Radford (DD-446), named for Rear Admiral William Radford, was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Entering service in 1942 during World War II the ship also saw action during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The ship was removed from service in 1969 and sold for scrap in 1970. The USS Radford (DD-446) was decommissioned at San Francisco just months after returning from her 1969 WestPac tour. It was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 10 November 1969 and sold for scrap in October 1970. Whenever asbestos-containing equipment is worked on, it can release microscopic asbestos fibers into the air. These airborne fibers are inhaled by those in the area – particularly in the poorly ventilated compartments of a ship. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers lodge in the lungs, causing inflammation that can lead to cancer after several decades. Navy veterans may notice symptoms of mesothelioma 10 to 50 years after being exposed.
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