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USS Inchon (LPH-12)

The USS Inchon (LPH-12) was the last of the U.S. Navy’s Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships. The Inchon and her sister LPHs were among the first purpose-built helicopter carriers, and their air wings gave the Navy the ability to deploy Marines behind enemy beaches.

Work on the USS Inchon began in 1968 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company’s Pascagoula, Mississippi, shipyard. The Inchon was commissioned on June 20th, 1970, and immediately embarked on her first shakedown and training run. Following her successful shakedown cruise, the USS Inchon was deployed to Vietnam, where she participated in one campaign and earned a Vietnam battle star. The Inchon was subsequently deployed with the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.

While on deployment in the Mediterranean in 1975, the USS Inchon collided with the USS Caloosahatchee, a replenishment ship, resulting in minor damage to both vessels. The Inchon was involved in a more serious at-sea collision just five years later, when on February 5th, 1980, she ran into the USS Spiegel Grove in the Atlantic Ocean. The Inchon and her crew responded quickly to the impact, and, in the face of a chaotic environment and clouds of asbestos-laden dust stirred up by the impact, the sailors aboard the Inchon brought the situation under control.

The history of the USS Inchon was generally quiet, but a number of other accidents interrupted her otherwise peaceful deployments. On November 14th, 1989, a particularly large fire broke out on the Inchon’s hangar deck while the ship was berthed in her home port of Norfolk, Virginia. The fire raged throughout much of the hangar deck, sending smoke and asbestos debris throughout the Inchon. Once again, the Inchon’s crew responded well, although 31 sailors were injured, and many others undoubtedly received asbestos inhalation as a result of the incident.

Several years later, in March of 1995, the USS Inchon was re-designated as MCS-12, a Mine Countermeasures Command and Support Ship. However, the Navy decided that the role was extraneous, and the Inchon was the only vessel to ever wear the MCS designation. In October of 2001, while the Inchon was in port in Ingleside, Texas, she suffered the second major fire of her career. This second inferno was significantly worse than the first, and it raged for nearly 45 minutes before the crew brought it under control. During those tense 45 minutes, many of the responding sailors aboard the Inchon received significant exposure to smoke and asbestos fibers, and several were eventually treated for smoke inhalation. Following the fire, the U.S. Navy decided that it wasn’t worth the cost of the repairs to keep the Inchon in service, and on June 20th, 2002, the USS Inchon was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register. She was ultimately sunk on December 5th, 2004, as part of a Navy training exercise.

For as long as there have been wars, those who serve in the armed forces have understood that their service means facing many risks. However, what many of our military personnel in the majority of the 1900s, especially sailors in the navy, did not know was that exposure to asbestos could sometimes prove to be nearly as life-threatening as enemy bullets.

To safeguard the ship's crew, along with the vessel itself, from flames and excessive heat, materials with excellent insulating properties are important when building a ship. As a result, it was typical (and in fact often required by law) for fire retardants like asbestos to be used during the period when ships like USS Inchon were constructed. Asbestos was known even in ancient times for its fireproofing properties; however, it was also proven to be the main factor in the development of such serious conditions such as "miners lung" and pleural mesothelioma. The harm brought about by asbestos happens when very small particles are inhaled; they can infiltrate the lungs and sometimes the stomach, leading to development of scar tissue in the case of pleural plaques and cellular damage in the case of mesothelioma.

The consequences of contact with asbestos weren't likely a high priority to most sailors while they were focused on fighting off an enemy attack or coping with accidents. However, if a ship was damaged from battle action, during a typhoon or by accident, it frequently exposed asbestos and allowed it to be exposed to the elements, creating hazards beyond the more immediate ones. Furthermore, as practically all spaces in ships like USS Inchon contained asbestos, those aboard generally were faced with some level of asbestos exposure even in their normal duties. With asbestos being prevalent around ship's conduits and mechanical areas, navy files who worked in such areas were particularly at risk. Even land-based workers like plumbers were subject to developing asbestos-related illnesses if they repaired ships like USS Inchon without using safety equipment and procedures.

The various forms of mesothelioma are hard to distinguish from other illnesses, as they have symptoms in common with such conditions. However, being aware of a patient's history of asbestos exposure can assist a healthcare professional in being able to determine if a patient is likely to have mesothelioma. Navy files who maintained or served aboard USS Inchon are therefore advised to talk about their service history with their doctors.

Sources:

  1. NavSource: http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/11/1112.htm
  2. Navy Site: http://www.navysite.de/ships/mcs12.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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