The USS Shelton (DD-790) was a Gearing-class destroyer laid down in 1945, launched and commissioned in 1946. After shakedown, the ship sailed to the western Pacific for her first tour with the 7th Fleet. In 1948, the destroyer underwent an overhaul and was assigned again to WestPac and the 7th Fleet. During the Korean War, the vessel was a unit of TF 77, the Striking Force of the 7th Fleet. She also served as a fleet destroyer with TF 72, 77, 95, 96, and 97. The ship participated in special bombardment missions and ensured landings until sustaining four direct hits under enemy fire. From 1953 to 1959, the destroyer alternated tasks with the 7th Fleet and operations along the West Coast. The ship joined the 7th Fleet again during the Vietnam War, providing anti-submarine protection and pilot rescue operations. On her second Vietnam tour in 1967, she was tasked with plane guarding, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), screening duties, and gunfire support. On her last deployment to the western Pacific in 1972, the destroyer was back on the gunline, firing over enemy sites. The USS Shelton was struck from the Navy list in 1973. On Navy ships built before the 1980s, asbestos was used for insulation and in equipment prone to corrosion, exposing personnel to asbestos dust, the potential source of their future health problems.
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