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USS Guadalupe (AO-32)

The USS Guadalupe (AO-32) was a Cimarron-class oil tanker in service with the Navy from World War II until 1974. The Guadalupe and her sister ships performed a vital logistical role for the Navy, allowing for the at-sea refueling of almost all Navy vessel types.

The USS Guadalupe was built in 1940 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, and commissioned on June 19th, 1941. After a brief shakedown cruise, the Guadalupe was assigned to domestic duty along the east coast for a period of several months. In late summer, 1941, the Guadalupe was sent to the western Pacific, where she delivered a full load of fuel and several patrol craft. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, the Guadalupe was sent to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was fitted out for combat duty.

While in Baltimore, the Guadalupe was equipped with 4 5-inch guns, as well as eight antiaircraft guns that dotted her decks. The process took just a few weeks, but the amount of metalwork required for the modifications undoubtedly resulted in the release of large quantities of asbestos from within the Guadalupe’s hull. Guadulupe’s sailors almost certainly received asbestos exposure when the returned to the ship, and they faced the risk of asbestos inhalation in early 1942, when they left Baltimore for the Pacific.

Upon her arrival in the Pacific, the Guadalupe was assigned to the Navy’s Seventh Fleet, which she operated with for most of the conflict. The Guadalupe provided critical at-sea refueling for dozens of Navy combat ships, including most of the Navy’s large carrier fleet. The Guadalupe’s service was largely trouble-free until January 1944, when the Guadalupe was involved in a collision with the Nantahala, another Navy oil tanker. The collision ruptured the Guadalupe’s bow, spraying debris and clouds of asbestos across her decks. The Guadalupe’s crew braved the asbestos and continued with their mission - supporting the invasion of Lingayen Gulf - and postponed repairs until later that month.

In May of 1945, the USS Guadalupe was ordered back to the U.S. for an overhaul, which effectively ended her wartime service. In recognition of her invaluable and valorous service during World War II, the U.S. Navy awarded the Guadalupe and her crew with fourteen battle stars. Following the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, the Guadalupe was assigned to the western Pacific, where she remained for the majority of the inter-war years.

When the Korean War broke out in June of 1950, the Guadalupe was in California for an overhaul. Crews quickly rushed through the remainder of the repairs, but in the process of overhauling the Guadalupe they assuredly sent clouds of asbestos fibers coursing throughout the Guadalupe’s interior spaces. With her overhaul completed, the Guadalupe deployed for Korea, where she earned a total of six battle stars. The Guadalupe followed up her Korean War service by deploying with the Navy’s Pacific Fleet in Vietnam 12 years later. During her third and final war, the USS Guadalupe earned ten campaign stars, making her one of the most decorated tankers of the Vietnam War. In 1974, after a storied 33-year career, the USS Guadalupe was decommissioned and eventually struck from the Naval Register.

When acting in times of peace or war, sailors and soldiers have long known that being part of the armed services carries certain risks. What many were not aware of during most of the 1900s, however, was a danger unrelated to bullets or enemy actions: the chance of developing a disease caused by asbestos exposure.

Because fire on a navy ship can be extremely deadly, fireproofing is a critical factor in ship construction. As a result, it was not unusual and sometimes legally mandated for insulators such as asbestos to be included when vessels like USS Guadalupe were constructed. Unfortunately, what wasn't clearly understood or was sometimes overlooked was that contact with asbestos can lead to debilitating conditions such as pleural plaques and pericardial mesothelioma. The harm done by asbestos occurs when very small fibers are inhaled or ingested; they can invade the lungs and sometimes other organs, causing development of scar tissue in the case of pleural plaques and damage at the cellular level in the case of mesothelioma.

During the heat of battle or while hoping to survive a hurricane, the chance of someday contracting lung cancer or mesothelioma was no doubt the furthest thing from most people's thoughts. Asbestos exposure was definitely a real hazard if a vessel was damaged in battle or by misfortune, however, since such circumstances often exposed asbestos-containing materials to the elements. And even during peaceful times, sailors who toiled on navy ships like USS Guadalupe still faced some amount of exposure because almost all areas of the vessel contained parts made with asbestos. With asbestos being widely used near USS Guadalupe’s pipes and engines, service personnel whose jobs placed them in such areas were especially in danger. But it wasn't only shipboard personnel who were endangered by asbestos; those who maintained the vessel when it was in dry dock for repairs were also exposed to airborne asbestos.

Most asbestos-related disorders can take two or three decades to manifest. To be able to accurately diagnose such diseases, a doctor must know about a patient's history of contact with asbestos. If you lived or worked on USS Guadalupe during your career, you should learn more about the symptoms of asbestos-related diseases and talk about your asbestos exposure history with your doctor.

Sources:

  1. USS Guadalupe Home Page: http://guadalupeao32.tripod.com/index1.htm
  2. NavSource: http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19032.htm
  3. Haze Gray: http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/ao32.htm
  4. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g9/guadalupe.htm

Auxiliary Vessels Index

USNS Asterion T-AF-63
USNS Cheyenne T-AG-174
USNS Cumberland T-AO-153
USNS David C Shanks T-AP-180
USNS Fred C Aunsworth T-AP-181
USNS Geiger T-AP-197
USNS Harris County T-LST-822
USNS Lt. George W. G.
Boyce T-AK-251

USNS Lt. Robert Craig T-AK-252
USNS Marine Adder AP-193
USNS Mission San Antonio T-AO-119
USNS Provo T-AG-173
USNS Rincon T-AOG-77
USNS Sgt. Andrew Miller T-AK-242
USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup T-AG-175
USNS Sgt. Jack J. Pendleton T-AKV-5
USNS Sgt. Morris E. Crain T-AK-244
USNS Shearwater T-AG-177
USS Admiral Hugh Rodman AP-126
USS Admiral W.S. Sims AP-127
USS Alamo LSD-33
USS Alshain AKA-55
USS Alstede AF-48
USS Andromeda AKA-15
USS Ashtabula AO-51
USS Bellatrix AKA-3
USS Bryce Canyon AD 36
USS Bryce Canyon AD 36
USS Cacapon AO-52
USS Caroline County LST-525
USS Carter Hall LSD-3
USS Cassia County LST-527
USS Catalpa AN-10
USS Cayuga County LST-529
USS Charleston LKA-113
USS Chimon AG-150
USS Chittenden County LST-561
USS Cimarron AO-22
USS Clarke County LST-601
USS Cleveland LPD-7
USS Collenton APB-36
USS Colonial LSD-18
USS Consolation AH-15
USS Crook County LST-611
USS DeKalb County LST-715
USS Denebola AF-56
USS Diphda AKA-59
USS Dixie AD-14
USS Dukes County LST-735
USS Dunn County LST-742
USS Duval County LST-758
USS El Paso LKA-117
USS Electron AG-146
USS Epping Forest LSD-4
USS Etlah AN-79
USS Firedrake AE-14
USS Floyd County LST-762
USS Fort Fisher LSD-40
USS Frederick LST-1184
USS Gardiners Bay AVP-39
USS General A.W. Brewster AP-155
USS General C.G. Morton AP-138
USS General D.E.Aultman AP-156
USS General George M. Randall AP-115
USS General H.F. Hodges AP-144
USS General J.C. Breckenridge AP-176
USS General LeRoy Eltinge AP-154
USS General M.C. Meigs AP-116
USS General M.M. Patrick AP-50
USS General R.L. Howze AP-134
USS General S.D. Sturgis AP-137
USS General W.A. Mann AP-112
USS General W.F. Hase AP-146
USS General W.M. Black AP-135
USS General William Mitchell AP-114
USS Genesee AOG-8
USS Grainger AK-184
USS Greer County LST-799
USS Guadalupe AO-32
USS Guam LPH-9
USS Haleakala AE-25
USS Hamilton County LST-802
USS Hampshire County LST-819
USS Haven AH-12
USS Hennepin AK-187
USS Herkimer AK-188
USS Hickman County LST-825
USS Holmes County LST-836
USS Hunterdon County LST-838
USS Inchon LPH-12
USS Iron County LST-840
USS James O'Hara APA-90
USS Jefferson County LST-845
USS Jerome County LST-848
USS Kansas City AOR-3
USS Kaskaskia AO-27
USS Kemper County LST-854
USS Keosanqua ATA-198
USS King County LST-857
USS Kishwaukee AOG-9
USS La Moure County LST-883
USS Laertes AR-20
USS Lawrence County LST-887
USS Lindenwald LSD-6
USS Luzerne County LST-902
USS Magoffin APA-199
USS Mahnomen County LST-912
USS Manatee AO-58
USS Markab AD-21
USS Mathews AKA-96
USS Mauna Kea AE-22
USS Mazama AE-9
USS Merapi AF-98
USS Merrick AKA-97
USS Mispillion AO-105
USS Monmouth County LST-1032
USS Monticello LSD-35
USS Mount Baker AE-4
USS Mount McKinley ACG-7
USS Mulberry AN-27
USS Muliphen AKA-61
USS Navasota AO-106
USS New Orleans LPH-11
USS Niagra Falls AFS-3
USS Ogden LPD-5
USS Okinawa LPH-3
USS Onslow APV-48
USS Orange County LST-1068
USS Outagamie County LST-1073
USS Paricutin AE-18
USS Park County LST-1077
USS Pasig AW-3
USS Patapsco AOG-1
USS Pender County LST-1080
USS Pictor AF-54
USS Platte AO-24
USS Plumas County LST-1083
USS Polaris AF-11
USS Portland LSD-37
USS Princeton CV-37
USS Procyon AF-61
USS Rainer AE-5
USS Regulus AF-57
USS Romulus-ARL-22
USS Sanborn APA-193
USS Sanctuary AH-17
USS Sarnac AO-74
USS Satyr ARL-23
USS Sedgwick County LST-1123
USS Sharps AG-139
USS Skagit AKA-105
USS Sphinx ARL 24
USS St. Clair County LST 1096
USS St. Joseph's River LSM 527
USS Steuben County LST 1138
USS Suisun AVP 53
USS Summit County LST 1146
USS Susquehanna AOG-5
USS Tallulah AO 50
USS Tensaw YT 418
USS Terrell County LST 1157
USS Thomaston LSD 28
USS Tioga County LST 1158
USS Tom Green County LST 1159
USS Tombigbee AOG 11
USS Tripoli LPH 10
USS Union AKA 106
USS Vancouver LPD 2
USS Vesuvius AE 15
USS Virgo AKA 20
USS Waccamaw AO 109
USS Wallacut YTB 420
USS Warrick AKA-89
USS Washoe County LST 1165
USS Westchester County LST 1165
USS Whetstone LSD 27
USS Whidbey AG 141
USS Whiteside AKA 90
USS Windham County LST 1170
USS Wrangell AE 12
USS Yancey AKA 93
USS Yazoo AN 92
USS Zelima AF 49
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