USS Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869)

The USS Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869) was laid down on 14 March 1945 by the union steelworkers of Bethlehem Steel at the company's Staten Island shipyard. She launched 6 August 1945 and was commissioned on 5 January 1946 under the command of Commander Carlton B. Jones.

Early Years

Following her shakedown cruise out of Guantanamo Bay, Isbell joined the Atlantic Fleet and operated off the East Coast through the end of the year. In January 1947, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and stationed out of San Diego, California. In May, the USS Arnold J. Isbell got underway for her deployment to the Far East, returning to San Diego in December.

In the years following World War II, the Navy's destroyer tactics began to shift from surface combat to anti-submarine warfare (ASW). In 1948, Isbell engaged in submarine hunter/killer training while serving as a training ship for Naval Reserve personnel.

In February 1949, she sailed to Bremerton, Washington for two months of maintenance. This was followed by another Far East deployment, ending upon her return to San Diego in December.

Korea

The USS Arnold J. Isbell was operating out of San Diego when the Korean War broke out on 27 June 1950 and her crew promptly began preparations for an active role in the conflict. She sailed for Korean waters on 6 November, remaining in the combat zone until the following August, when she returned to San Diego for repairs and training exercises.

In January 1952, Isbell began her second Korean deployment. For a short time, she was a part of the Taiwan Strait patrol. She joined the cruiser USS St. Paul (CA-73) in the bombardment of Songjin before she returned to the United States in August. Arnold J. Isbell then began a three-month overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton.

Isbell sailed for her third combat tour of duty on 21 July 1953. When a cease-fire was finally declared, she escorted the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) into Pusan harbor, where President Syngman Rhee presented the 7th Fleet with a unit citation from the Republic of Korea.

The USS Arnold J. Isbell also served briefly during this deployment as a training ship for the Nationalist Chinese Navy out of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She finally returned to the United States in February 1954 and reported to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California for six months of maintenance and repairs. She departed for the Far East that September, returning to her home port on 13 March.

FRAM Overhaul

Deployments to Asia and periods of repair and upkeep occupied much of Isbell's time for the next several years. In June 1961, her home port was changed to Bremerton and later that month, she entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul. She emerged on 4 May 1962 and reported to her new home port of Long Beach, California, a month later.

In October, Isbell sailed with Destroyer Squadron 11 for the Far East, and took part in a number of SEATO exercises. This was a pattern she repeated over the next few years.

Vietnam

In March 1965, a drone anti-submarine helicopter (DASH) system was installed aboard the Isbell. After a summer of training operations and tests, the destroyer sailed for her first tour of duty in Vietnam on 19 October and she spent a year carrying out search and rescue operations in the Gulf of Tonkin.

The USS Arnold J. Isbell got underway for her second Vietnam deployment on 15 July 1968. She arrived off the Vietnamese coast on 12 August and carried out duties as a gunfire support ship. Except for maintenance periods and shore leave, she remained on station until 20 January 1969.

The remainder to 1969 was spent in port carrying out routine and training operations. Isbell sailed for her third Vietnam deployment on 13 February 1970. During this tour of duty, she carried out search and rescue operations on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin, provided gunfire support and served as an escort for five aircraft carriers. She returned to Long Beach on 29 August and spent the rest of 1970 in local operations.

From February to May 1971, Arnold J. Isbell went through an extensive yard period at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Following six weeks of crew refresher training, she departed for her last Vietnam tour of duty on 9 September, returning on 7 April 1972.

Final Years

The USS Arnold J. Isbell eventually became a training vessel for Naval reservists. She was decommissioned on 1 February 1974 and transferred to the Greek Navy, where she served as the HNS Sachtouris until the 1980s. It is reported that the vessel was scrapped in 2002.

Asbestos Risks

The brave men and women who serve our country in the armed forces have always known that their service comes with certain risks, regardless of whether or not they experience battle action. However many were unaware of a risk unrelated to explosions or enemy action. The possibility of developing a disease related to asbestos exposure was also a danger that came along with serving aboard a vessel through the late 1970s.

The ability to stop the spread of fire onboard a navy ship is vital as numerous maritime incidents illustrate the hazards of fire at sea. During the period that the USS Arnold J. Isbell and other destroyers were built, the mineral known as asbestos was often utilized on ships because of its innate resistance to heat and fire and its ability to insulate. Unfortunately, what wasn't always known by those aboard ships and vessels, was that inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious diseases such as pleural plaques and mesothelioma. The damage caused by asbestos exposure can occur when tiny fibers are inhaled or ingested, causing inflammation or infection in the body.

During an enemy attack, severe storm or even during daily operations, asbestos exposure may have occurred when fibers broke free and entered the air of a destroyer. Those who served on destroyers like USS Arnold J. Isbell faced some level of asbestos exposure since practically every compartment of the ship contained asbestos. Since asbestos was prevalent around ship's conduits and engines, sailors whose jobs placed them these areas were particularly at risk. Those who repaired USS Arnold J. Isbell or other destroyers when they were in dry dock for overhaul were subject to the possibility of asbestos exposure as well.

Most asbestos-related conditions take 20 years or more to develop. If you served aboard the USS Arnold J. Isbell for any period of time, or worked on the construction or repair of the vessel and would like to learn more about mesothelioma, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index