The USS Turner Joy (DD-951) is a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company of Seattle. The ship was commissioned in 1959 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Before the Vietnam War, the destroyer began operational duty early in 1960 as flagship for Destroyer Squadron 13 and Division 131. She was part of an antisubmarine warfare task group built around the USS Hornet and sailed with the group for the western Pacific, where she then served her whole career. The vessel took part in the Vietnam War, being on screening duty, plane guard duty, conducting midshipman training cruises and shore bombardments to support American troops operating ashore, and delivered gunfire support. After stops at Midway and Pearl Harbor in 1975, she reentered San Diego harbor on 4 April and moved in post-deployment standdown, reverting to training operations out of San Diego. Following decommissioning in 1982, she became a museum ship in Bremerton, Washington. Due to abundant asbestos applications aboard vessels and the tight compartments below the deck, Navy veterans risk developing asbestos-related diseases many years after service. Veterans affected by asbestos exposure may be eligible for disability benefits through the VA.
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