USS Sedgwick County (LST-1123)

The USS Sedgwick County (LST-1123) was one of the U.S. Navy’s ubiquitous LST-542-class tank landing ships. These vessels served extensively throughout World War II and Korea and, to a smaller extent, Vietnam.

The USS Sedgwick County was built in 1944 by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company in Seneca, Illinois, and commissioned on February 19th, 1945. After receiving her commission, the Sedgwick County embarked on a brief shakedown and training cruise in the Atlantic, after which she loaded cargo and sailed for the Pacific. The Sedgwick County arrived in the Pacific too late to see any combat action, but she was used extensively as a cargo carrier. Following the cessation of hostilities, the LST was recalled to the west coast, where she entered port in Seattle in early 1946. Upon arriving in Seattle, the Sedgwick County underwent a major overhaul to prepare her for years of active-duty service in the Pacific. This overhaul was rather extensive, and the volume of steelwork involved undoubtedly released significant quantities of asbestos into the ship’s atmosphere. This asbestos, which had been trapped within the Sedgwick County’s hull, almost certainly made its way into the lungs of the shipyard workers and members of the LST’s crew. Work continued in spite of the near-certain risk of asbestos inhalation, and after several months the overhaul was completed.

The Sedgwick County spent the next several years serving in a peacetime role along the west coast, but in 1950 the outbreak of the Korean War brought her back to combat readiness. The Navy deployed the LST to Korea in July of 1950, and later that year she took part in the amphibious assault at Inchon. This invasion, one of the most heavily contested of the war, was particularly dangerous for the LSTs, which were forced to remain on the beaches for days at a time. The Sedgwick County took heavy small-arms fire during this time, but the small rounds succeeded only in spraying metal shrapnel and clouds of asbestos throughout the Sedgwick County’s interior and caused no major damage. Over the course of the next three years, the Sedgwick County participated in several other amphibious assaults, and for her efforts she was awarded six battle stars.

Although the Sedgwick County managed to remain on active duty between World War II and Korea, the Navy ordered her into the Reserve Fleet following the cessation of hostilities in Korea. However, the eruption of the Vietnam War in the 1960s forced the Navy to recall the Sedgwick County to active duty, and for the third time the venerable LST sailed into a combat zone. The USS Sedgwick County was assigned the dangerous task of riverine support vessel, and she and her crew made numerous excursions into the Mekong Delta area. The Viet Cong made repeated assaults on the Sedgwick County during this period, but their attacks succeeded only in causing minor damage to the LST. Her crew easily survived the shrapnel bursts and resulting clouds of asbestos fibers, and for their service in Vietnam they were recognized with six Vietnam battle stars and one Meritorious Unit Commendation. On December 6th, 1969, the USS Sedgwick County was decommissioned and ultimately struck from the Naval Register.

Regardless of whether they were serving during peace or conflict, soldiers and sailors have always understood that working part of the Army or Navy comes with certain perils. What many did not understand during much of the 20th century, however, was a risk unrelated to missiles or attacks by the enemy: the possibility of diseases related to asbestos exposure.

Since flames on navy ships can be extraordinarily difficult to deal with, fireproofing is a critical factor in ship construction. Given asbestos' impressive imperviousness to flames, it was hailed as being entirely suitable for use in the construction of ships, and at the time navy ships like USS Sedgwick County were built, materials containing asbestos were common. Unfortunately, what wasn't clearly understood or was at times overlooked was that contact with asbestos is a leading cause of debilitating conditions such as asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos harms the body when it is friable (that is, easily smashed into tiny pieces) since it is then able to enter the body by being breathed in.

The consequences of asbestos exposure were unlikely to be uppermost in the minds of most people when they were focused on engaging in battle or coping with accidents. Asbestos exposure was definitely a significant secondary hazard when a navy ship was damaged in battle or by misfortune, however, because such situations often exposed materials made of asbestos to people nearby. Furthermore, because practically every compartment in naval vessels like USS Sedgwick County had parts made with asbestos, sailors generally were faced with some amount of exposure to asbestos even when performing their routine jobs. In addition, a navy file who spent time in confined spaces where asbestos was present, such as a ship's mechanical sections or engines, was particularly in danger. But it wasn't only shipboard sailors who suffered from asbestos poisoning; people who serviced USS Sedgwick County when it was in dry dock to be overhauled were also exposed to airborne asbestos.

Since asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma sometimes don't manifest until as many as 20 or 30 years after the patient came in contact with asbestos, they can be quite difficult to diagnose. To be able to accurately diagnose such diseases, a physician needs to know about a patient's history of asbestos exposure. If you served aboard USS Sedgwick County during your career, you should educate yourself about the signs of diseases associated with asbestos and discuss any concerns you have with your doctor.

Sources:

Auxiliary Vessels Index