USS Alfred A. Cunningham DD-752

The USS Alfred A. Cunningham (DD-752) was built between late February and early August 1944 at the Bethlehem Steel Company plant in Staten Island, New York. The vessel was commissioned on 23 November and placed under command of Commander Floyd Myhre.

Early Assignments

Initially, the USS Cunningham served primarily in training duties, interrupted only by a maintenance layover at the Norfolk Navy Yard in May 1945. On 13 June, she was attached to Task Group 12.4 and ordered to the western Pacific, screening the carriers that were carrying out the invasion of Wake Island. She proceeded to Okinawa, arriving on 29 June and remaining on radar picket duty until the Japanese surrender in August. Following the war, the Cunningham remained in the vicinity, patrolling for smugglers and pirates in the East China Sea. She returned to the U.S. on 28 March 1946 and was put into reserve at San Diego six weeks later. The Cunningham was decommissioned in August 1949.

Korea

With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea the following year, the Cunningham was back in action under the command of L.P. Spear. During the Korean War, she engaged in coastal shelling, primarily targeting highways and railroads. During her second tour of duty, the Cunningham suffered five direct hits, damaging the forward fire room, a bulkhead, and the motor whaleboat. One of the shells struck a forward gun, causing ordnance to explode, while another shell penetrated the starboard hull about two feet below the main deck.

On 6 November, the USS Alfred A. Cunningham returned to the U.S. and was stationed in Long Beach.

Cold War

The Cunningham engaged in numerous exercises over the next few years as well as at least one search and rescue operation. She went to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a three-month overhaul during the spring of 1954, before returning to duty and anti-submarine exercises in the Western Pacific.

Maintenance and repairs were performed on the Cunningham at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard in May 1956, in Long Beach in May 1957, in Guam in February 1958, and again in Long Beach in September 1958. In January of 1961, she underwent a complete overhaul at her home port of Long Beach.

The 1960s

Throughout the early-to-mid 1960s, the Cunningham was involved primarily with training and public relations cruises, undergoing maintenance at San Diego in the spring of 1963 and another overhaul at her home port of Long Beach between November 1964 and March of 1965. She was assigned to Task Force 77 following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, patrolling the waters off North Vietnam and engaging in the shelling of enemy positions at Quang Ngai in January 1966.

After several months at home, the Cunningham returned to the Gulf of Tonkin the following year to provide screening for the carrier USS Bennington, participating in Operation Sea Dragon until April 1967. Following a brief tour of duty in the Taiwan Strait, she returned to Long Beach for yet another overhaul between July and November of that year.

In 1968, the Cunningham was again ordered to Vietnam, serving primarily as a search and rescue vessel. The following year, she was involved in Operation Quickstart while providing cover for the carrier USS Orisansky. On 1 July 1969, a propeller shaft was damaged and she was sent to the Todd Shipyard in San Pedro for repair. She then headed for Vietnam, then Okinawa where she ended her career.

The USS Alfred A. Cunningham returned home in the summer of 1970 and ordered to stand down on 7 August of that year. She was decommissioned on 24 February 1971 and deliberately sunk in a training exercise in October 1979.

Asbestos Risks

On board every American Navy ship throughout World War I and World War II, the mineral asbestos was routinely utilized for insulation and fireproofing capabilities. A vessel's boiler room and engine spaces usually were the most common workspaces where someone aboard a destroyer could be exposed to asbestos particles, but practically all sections of vessels like the USS Alfred A. Cunningham contained the mineral.

If a ship or vessel was damaged, either in conflict or due to normal operations, toxic asbestos particles could break off into the air where they could be inhaled or ingested by anyone nearby. The greatest hazard in asbestos exposure comes from asbestos sections that become easily broken, as tiny asbestos microfibers can enter surrounding air, where asbestos is inhaled by sailors in the area. Significant asbestos inhalation has been proven to cause mesothelioma, tumors, asbestosis and other serious health conditions. Seamen who have been exposed to asbestos fibers may wish to learn more about symptoms and treatment options associated with mesothelioma. Please click here to receive a complimentary comprehensive packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index