The USS Rochester (CA-124) was an Oregon City-class heavy cruiser laid down on May 29, 1944, and launched on August 28, the following year. It was commissioned on December 20, 1946, under Capt. Harry Aloysius Guthrie’s command as CA-124 and served in the U.S. Navy for 15 years until it was decommissioned on August 15, 1961. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 1,142 people on board and had its main missions in Pearl Harbor, Cuba, Inchon, Koje, Wonsan, Songjin, Sasebo, and San Francisco. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on October 1, 1973, and sold for scrapping the following year to Zidell Explorations in Portland. Factors that impact individual asbestos exposure effects include how much asbestos they were exposed to, how long the exposure lasted, and individual health factors. Those who are exposed the longest, as in the cases of Navy veterans are at the highest risk for developing life-threatening conditions. It can take as many as 40 years after exposure for the effects of asbestos to become apparent with outward symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, persistent cough, sudden weight loss, fatigue, or anemia.
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