USS Balch DD-363

The USS Balch (DD-363) was one of eight Porter-class destroyers, a type of single-stack vessel built in the mid-1930s. Construction on the USS Balch began in May 1934 in Quincy, Massachusetts by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. The vessel launched in March 1936 and was commissioned in October and placed under command of Commander T. C. Latimore.

For a time, the Balch was operated under the CNO out of Newport, Rhode Island before she was ordered to join the Pacific Fleet in San Diego. As the flagship of Destroyer squadrons 12 and 6, Division 7 she functioned mainly as a training vessel, participating in war games and other drills in the Pacific as well as the eastern Caribbean. Her first major maintenance and repair call took place in the spring of 1940 at the Navy's Mare Island facility near San Francisco. Following repairs, she cruised between Pearl Harbor and the mainland, completing six trips between August 1940 and December 1941.

World War II

The USS Balch was at sea when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and in the months following she was actively involved with several operations, including bombardment during the Marshall Island campaign, screening duty during the attack on Wake Island, carrier support for the Doolittle Raid and participation in the Battle of Midway.

In 1944 the Balch was reassigned to the Atlantic. Sailing out of the port of New York City, she escorted five convoys to North Africa between August of that year and the late spring of 1945.

Her pre-deactivation overhaul took place in Philadelphia in the summer of 1945 and she was decommissioned in October and sold for scrap the following year.

Asbestos Risks

Throughout both World Wars I and II asbestos, a toxic fibrous mineral, was widely utilized for its fireproofing abilities and as pipe insulation aboard U.S. Navy vessels. A ship's boilers and mechanical spaces were the most frequent sections where a crewman or a technician might come in contact with asbestos in the air, but essentially all compartments of vessels like the USS Balch posed a measurable level of asbestos risk.

Greater risk of exposure often occurred when the ship was damaged, in conflict or through daily wear and tear, exposing asbestos-containing materials. Inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers can lead to the development of serious asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma, a rare cancer. If you served aboard the USS Balch or worked on the construction or repairs of the vessel and wish to learn more about mesothelioma, symptoms, treatment and legal options, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet.

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Destroyers Index