The USS Ricketts (DE-254) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on March 16, 1943, and launched on May 10, the same year. It was commissioned on October 5, 1943, under Lt. Cmdr. Glenn L. Rollins’ command as DE-254 and served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years until it was decommissioned on April 17, 1946. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 209 people onboard and had its main missions in Texas, Bermuda, Panama Canal, North Africa, Algiers, Boston, New York, Pearl Harbor, and Southampton. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1972, and sold for scrapping in 1974 to Andy International in Brownsville. The USS Ricketts (DE-254) was just one of many Navy ships built at a time when asbestos was largely used in onboard equipment including valves, electrical components, boilers, pumps, turbines, engines, incinerators, and other heat-sensitive areas. If you are a Navy veteran, it’s important to understand that you were put at risk of exposure to asbestos, and thus, if you experience symptoms like dry cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, or persistent chest pain, you are eligible to recover compensation for your medical expenses and the pain and suffering that follows the diagnosis.
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