Caldwell class, the Wickes class, and the Clemson class. Commonly misconceived, the construction of the Wickes-class and Clemson-class destroyers were not specifically built for World War I, but were mainly a result from the Naval Appropriation Act of 1916. The act called for a fleet capable of protecting both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and for protection from German U-boat attacks on military and supply convoys. Through the Naval Emergency Fund created in 1917, over 200 destroyers were added, one of which resulted in the creation of USS Corry. Build/class USS Corry is a Clemson-class destroyer built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California. This was part of the last class of "flush-decker" destroyers to be built before World War II. They were also identified as "four-stackers" or "four-pipers" for the four notable smoke stacks on the destroyers. The Clemson-class destroyers are essentially Wickes-class destroyers with major improvements. It was addressed that Wickes-class destroyers would have trouble crossing the Atlantic – this led to the elimination of two boilers and the implementation of Yarrow boilers for the Clemson class. This design change from two boilers to Yarrow boilers was necessary in order to increase fuel capacity, thus increasing ship range. Doing so meant the Clemson-class destroyers had 100 tons of greater fuel capacity than the previous Wickes class. However, it was soon realized that even with this redesign, the altered destroyer plans were still not sufficient to allow crossing the Atlantic. The Navy had to bring forth other solutions, eventually settling on routine tanker-to-destroyer fuel transfers in the 1920s. The Clemson-class destroyers were also designed to fulfill an anti-submarine role more than anti-ship. This meant necessary change in maneuverability – leading to a larger rudder fitting as well as a more efficient hull form. Asbestos Use Prior to the 1970s, all Navy warships required asbestos materials for insulation. USS Corry had asbestos material installed around boilers and steam pipes in engineering compartments and elsewhere to minimize heat loss. This material is incredibly heat resistant and cheap, making it an economical and desirable shipbuilding material for pipe insulation, gaskets, valves, adhesives, etc. This put everyone on board at mild risk of harmful exposure, although cases of damage to shipyard workers applying the asbestos insulation are more frequent. Ship service USS Corry was never sent to war due to Germany's collapse in 1918. The ship later served many different functions, joining fleet