The USS Robert E. Peary (DE-132) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort laid down on June 30, 1942, and launched on January 3, the following year. It was commissioned on May 31, 1943, under Lt. Comdr. Kerfoot B. Smith’s command with the hull number DE-132 and served in the U.S. Navy for 4 years until it was decommissioned on June 13, 1947. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 209 people on board and had its main missions in Bermuda, North Africa, Casablanca, Norfolk, the United Kingdom, France, New London, Florida, and New York. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on July 1, 1966, and sold for scrapping to Lipsett Inc. in New York the following year. Navy veterans who held certain trade jobs were exposed to asbestos. Those working in confined spaces with poor ventilation, operating machinery, and equipment that had asbestos-containing products were almost certainly exposed to asbestos regardless of their specific profession, including included enginemen, damage controlmen, boilermen, fire control technicians, pipefitters, shipfitters, electrician’s mates, and machinist mates.
760-621-6147
