The USS Saufley (DD/DDE/EDDE-465), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was laid down on 27 January 1942 by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey; launched on 19 July 1942; sponsored by Saufley's widow, Mrs. Helen (O’Rear) Scruggs (daughter of Judge Edward C. O’Rear of Frankfurt, Kentucky),[1] commissioned 29 August 1942 with Lieutenant Commander Bert F. Brown in command. Following shakedown off northern New England, the ship made several coastal escort runs and then prepared for duty in the South Pacific. The USS Saufley (DD/DDE/EDDE-465) was decommissioned on 29 January 1965 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1966. Since vessels were expected to be produced at a rapid pace, tons of asbestos dust and fibers permeated through the shipyard, putting workers at risk of developing toxic illnesses. As with most other shipyards in the past, the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey, relied heavily on asbestos for its affordability, ease of use, and resistance to heat and fire. Unfortunately, the positive attributes of asbestos were outweighed when thousands of shipyard workers and Navy veterans began developing asbestos-related illnesses.
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