The USS Vandivier (DER-540) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort laid down on November 8, 1943, and launched on December 27, the same year. It was commissioned on October 11, 1955, under Lt. Cmdr. Frank B. Correia’s command as DER-540 and served in the U.S. Navy for 5 years until it was decommissioned on June 30, 1960. During its activities, the ship carried a complement of 215 people on board and had its main missions in Bermuda, Maine, Guantanamo, Norfolk, Boston, Newport, Havana, New England, Ponce, and Narragansett Bay. After decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1974, and used as a target ship during training exercises the following year. Once referred to as “the miracle mineral,” asbestos has been used in various industries, including shipbuilding since the 1930s up to the mid-1970s. You could have breathed in asbestos fibers even if you did not work directly with asbestos-containing materials and products. If you worked at a place where these products were widely used, asbestos particles could have easily become airborne and spread around the worksite. From a legal standpoint, Navy veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer may be entitled to compensation through asbestos trust fund claims and additionally, VA claims.
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