The USS Southerland (DD-743) was a Gearing-class destroyer laid down, launched, and commissioned in 1944. The ship served as a radar defense picket at the end of World War II and then fulfilled duty most of the mid-20th century, including operations in the Korean War and Vietnam War. After Korea, the destroyer alternated tasks with the 7th Fleet in the WestPac with training assignments, operations with the 1st Fleet, and upkeep and overhaul periods. She entered a 10-month FRAM Mark I overhaul and conversion in 1963, including electronic modernization and antisubmarine rocket system addition. After work was completed, the ship was redesignated DD-743 in 1964 and returned to Vietnam and her third war in the western Pacific. After Vietnam, she operated with the 7th Fleet on escorting assignments. The vessel was overhauled in 1972 for a propulsion plant conversion and served as a training ship for reservists on their annual mandatory two weeks of active service. The USS Southerland (DD-743) was decommissioned in 1981 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same year. All military branches used asbestos, particularly during World War II, and the Navy mandated the toxic material for insulating the ships. Navy veterans diagnosed with asbestos cancers may be entitled to benefits and compensation.
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