USS Roark
The USS Roark was built in 1966 at the Todd Shipyards Corporation in Seattle, Washington. She was designated as a Knox Class Frigate (an escort ship for Destroyers) and officially launched on April 24, 1967. The United States Navy commissioned the ship on November 22, 1969 under the command of Commander Wayne L. Beech.
Her first deployment was in 1971 with the 7th Fleet. While on her way to the Western Pacific, the ship faced a serious fire in the engine room, forcing her to have to sail to Pearl Harbor for repairs. It took two months before she was ready to sail again, and by the time she finally made it to the Western Pacific, it was not long until she was scheduled to be back in the United States at a base in San Diego.
In 1972, The Roark was back in action and spent a large amount of time in the Vietnam area. During her time assisting in the war efforts at Vietnam, The Roark earned three battle service stars. She then returned to San Diego on August 30, and spent the rest of the year there.
By 1973 The Roark had joined the Seventh Fleet, and sailed with them for just under four months. Following this, she again returned to San Diego, arriving on December 21, 1973.
The Roark was moved to the Naval Reserve fleet in 1987, and remained there until December 14, 1991, when she was officially decommissioned. In 2004 she was dismantled and used for scrap. While still in use, The Roark presented a danger to her crew not only from the serious fire, but also from the presence of a dangerous material called asbestos. Before it was found to be toxic, asbestos was used in a variety of building materials such as insulation. However, it was later discovered that exposure to asbestos can lead to cancer and other diseases. The most common asbestos related disease is mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a serious malignancy. Any individual who sailed or worked on The Roark was put at risk for exposure, and should be examined by a physician as soon as possible.
