The USS Sellers (DDG-11) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer laid down on August 3, 1959, and launched on September 9, the following year. It was commissioned on October 28, 1961, with the hull number DDG-11 and served in the US Navy for 28 years until it was decommissioned on October 31, 1989. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 338 people on board. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 20, 1992, and sold in 1995.
As the USS Sellers (DDG-11) was constructed during the time when asbestos was extensively used for insulation in shipbuilding, the hazardous mineral was found in most of the equipment on board, for instance, boilers, pumps, pipes, valves, and turbines. Consequently, veterans aboard this ship were frequently exposed to asbestos dust that inadvertently got released into the air during maintenance works. Airborne asbestos fibers are very resistant when inhaled and can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis or cancer of the pleura.
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