The USS Reeves (DE-156/APD-52) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort laid down on February 7, 1943, and launched on April 22, the same year. It was commissioned on June 9, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. Mathias S. Clark’s command with the hull number DE-156 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on July 30, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 213 men on board and had its main missions in the United Kingdom, Norfolk, Casablanca, the Philippines, Kerama Retto, and Hawaii. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Naval Register on June 1, 1960. One year later, in July 1961, the USS Reeves was sold to Ecuador. Asbestos can be pulled into a fluffy consistency, with fibers that are soft and flexible, and in proportion to their weight – stronger than steel. Their thermal stability made the asbestos fibers useful in friction products and, together with their low thermal conductivity, in insulation materials. The thin fibers that are generated when asbestos is handled during repair or maintenance work can penetrate deep into the lungs where they can cause permanent damage.