USS Arthur W. Radford (DD-968)

The USS Arthur W. Radford (DD-968) was a Spruance-class destroyer, laid down by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi and launched on 21 March 1975. The vessel was commissioned on 16 April 1977.

Early Service Record

The Radford reported to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia on 6 May 1977. The first year consisted primarily of operations in local waters and in the Caribbean. On 23 August, Arthur W. Radford got underway for NATO exercises in the North Atlantic. These included Operations Common Effort and Northern Wedding. During this exercise, the ship encountered heavy seas from hurricane Flossie. The Radford returned to port on 25 October.

Arthur W. Radford departed for her first Mediterranean deployment on 13 March 1979. Over the next six months, she participated in a variety of exercises and visited several ports. She returned to port on 22 September. For the first half of 1980, Radford operated off the eastern seaboard of the United States, ranging as far north as Halifax and as far south as the Caribbean. Following a brief period at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Arthur W. Radford prepared for another extended deployment. This time, her duties took her to South America for UNITAS XXI, a joint exercise with various Latin American naval forces.

Completing UNITAS XXI on 4 November, Arthur W. Radford sailed for a diplomatic tour of West Africa. She dropped anchor at Norfolk on 15 December. The Radford spent the next two years engaged in operations along the east coast and in the West Indies. During the summer of 1981, she operated out of Annapolis, training midshipmen. She underwent upkeep at Norfolk and at the Boston Naval Shipyard, then underwent an overhaul at the Ingalls facility where she was built.

For the first few months of 1983, Arthur W. Radford operated primarily in the Virginia Capes area, but ranged into the Atlantic as far as the Bahamas. On 27 April, she left for a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean. After gunfire support missions off the coast of Lebanon, she left for home arriving on 22 November.

Arthur W. Radford underwent another overhaul at the Metro Machine Shipyard at Portsmouth, Virginia between 16 February and 27 April 1984. She then sailed for a deployment with the Middle East Force on 4 February 1985. During this tour of duty, the destroyer served twice on radar picket duties in the Persian Gulf. She returned to her home port on 5 August 1985.

The destroyer remained at Norfolk into late October, preparing for a command inspection and operating locally in the Virginia Capes area. Early in this period, Hurricane Gloria prompted Arthur W. Radford to proceed to the upper Chesapeake Bay anchorage to ride out the storm. The destroyer returned to her home port on 21 September.

The Later Years

The Radford spent most of her time over the next several years operating close to home. In 1991, she participated in the first Persian Gulf conflict and headed home sometime in 1992 by way of the Mediterranean. In May 1997, Arthur W. Radford received the first shipboard installation of the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor System, a state-of-the-art integrated radar system.

Disaster

Around 11:30 pm on the night of 4 February 1999, the Radford collided with a Saudi container ship as it was attempting to enter Chesapeake Bay. The Saudi ship's bow struck Radford's starboard side, holing the deck to the waterline, toppling its five-inch 54-caliber gun and damaging Tomahawk cruise missile tubes. Damage to the destroyer was estimated $32.7 million. Repairs aboard the Radford took over seven months, causing her to miss a scheduled Mediterranean deployment.

The USS Arthur W. Radford was decommissioned in 2003 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 April 2004. Today she is berthed at the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia awaiting final disposition.

Asbestos Risks

Throughout most of the 20th century, asbestos was used in the construction of naval vessels for its ability to insulate and fireproof materials. However, exposure to the toxic mineral has been noted to lead to the development of multiple illnesses, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Those who lived and worked on board the Arthur W. Radford were only a small portion of crewmen in the Navy that were likely exposed to asbestos. Exposure through ships most often occurred during repairs, as asbestos-containing materials released fibers into the air when they were removed. Because the hazards of asbestos were known and little was done to protect those exposed, many have received compensation for contracting an asbestos-related illness. For more additional information about compensation and treatment options, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a free informational packet.

Sources

Destroyers Index