Asbestos on Escort Ships
Many Navy Vessels, including escort ships, built before the 1980s are known to contain asbestos.
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- USS Day (DE 225) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Dealey (DE 1006) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Evans (DE 1023) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Hooper (DE 1026) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Kula Gulf (CVE 108) – Navy Escort Carrier
- USS Robert F Keller (DE 419) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Swasey (DE 248) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Tills (DE 748) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- We Can Help
Destroyer Escorts operated as a guide or companion ship for convoys of U.S. Naval ships. They were outfitted with technology that allowed them to spot other ships, aircraft, and submarines. These vessels also helped protect amphibious forces as they were landing on hostile beaches. Some even joined “hunter killer” forces in which the searched for and attacked enemy submarines. During World War II alone, escorts were credited with sinking 118 total enemy submarines. The men on these ships faced a number on dangers on a day to day basis. A danger they faced, unknowingly, was Asbestos. Asbestos was found in a number of areas on these ships, in particular the insulation that lined piping.
Anyone who served on a destroyer escort should speak with their doctor regarding asbestos related diseases, such as Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer, and the treatment options available.
USS Day (DE 225) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- USS Day (DE 225) – Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Sunk as a target off the coast of California in March of 1969
- Fleet: Pacific
- Launch Date: 10/14/1943
- Commission Date: 6/10/1944
- Decommission Date: 5/16/1946
- The USS Day received two battle stars for her service during World War II.
A Destroyer Escort sunk in March of 1969, the USS Day was built using asbestos
USS Dealey (DE 1006) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Transferred to Uruguay
- Fleet: 6th
- Launch Date: 11/8/1953
- Commission Date: 6/3/1954
- Decommission Date: 7/28/1972
Decommissioned in 1972, veterans who served on the USS Dealey were exposed to asbestos dust.
USS Evans (DE 1023) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Launch Date: 9/14/1955
- Commission Date: 6/14/1957
- Decommission Date: 9/1968
Anyone who served on a destroyer escort should speak with their doctor regarding asbestos related diseases, such as Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer, and the treatment options available.
USS Hooper (DE 1026) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: 7th
- Launch Date: 8/1/1957
- Commission Date: 3/18/1958
- Decommission Date: 6/6/1973
The USS Hooper was decommissioned in 1973. She was build with parts and materials containing asbestos, and many veterans and shipyard workers were exposed to damaging asbestos dust.
USS Kula Gulf (CVE 108) – Navy Escort Carrier
- Classification: Escort Carrier
- Status: disposed of by dismantling, scrapping
- Fleet: 7th
- Launch Date: 8/15/1944
- Commission Date: 5/12/1945
- Decommission Date: 10/6/1969
A Navy Escort Carrier, the USS Kula Gulf was decommissioned in 1969. Built during WWII, like other ships of her class she contained asbestos from stern to bow. The USS Kula Gulf participated in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
USS Robert F Keller (DE 419) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: 3rd/5th
- Launch Date: 2/19/1944
- Commission Date: 6/17/1944
- Decommission Date: 4/24/1946
In 1944 the USS Robert F Keller was assigned to screen for aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) and conduct anti-submarine sweeps as a hunter-killer group in the Philippine Sea and adjacent waters. She also participated in the Iwo Jima campaign and Okinawa. In 1959, during the Berlin Crisis, she was manned by reserves steaming in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
USS Swasey (DE 248) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: Pacific/Atlantic
- Launch Date: 3/18/1943
- Commission Date: 8/31/1943
- Decommission Date: 3/15/1946
The USS Swasey sped to aid the USS Turner, which was on fire due to an explosion. She helped direct smaller boats around USS Turner and also used all her fire hoses to aid in extinguishing the flames. Unfortunately, USS Swasey’s hoses could not keep up, and the USS Turner capsized and sank in New York Harbor. As part of a “hunter-killer” group in the Atlantic, she rescued two sailors from the water after the USS Warrington was sunk by a hurricane off the coast of Bermuda. The USS Swasey received one battle star for her service during World War II.
USS Tills (DE 748) – Navy Destroyer Escort
- Classification: Destroyer Escort
- Status: Sunk as a target off the coast of Virginia in April of 1969
- Launch Date: 10/3/1943
- Commission Date: 8/8/1944
- Decommission Date: 9/23/1968
The USS Tills conducted hunter-killer operations between the Marshall Islands and Hawaii, and several training and availability missions alongside other ships. She then escorted small carriers around Okinawa as they steamed toward Sakishima. After the war she was re-commissioned as a training ship. USS Tills operated off the east coast as a training vessel, interrupted twice by cruises to European waters. She continued training missions and exercises until the end of her career.
We Can Help
Asbestos lung cancer and Mesothelioma lawsuits involving active-duty or retired members of the U.S. military involve additional, complex legal issues and considerations.
At The Gori Law Firm, you’ll find lawyers with extensive experience in military asbestos and Mesothelioma cases, and a staff that is highly qualified and specially trained to assist us in handling these difficult cases. We also work diligently to help people living with Mesothelioma obtain a trial date within six to nine months from the time their lawsuit is filed.
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