USS Barney DD-149

Wickes-class destroyers were vessels built for the U.S. Navy that were developed in response to a perceived need for a fast, maneuverable craft. Although obsolete by 1941, several of the vessels remained in service with the U.S. Navy, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union received a number of the vessels under President Franklin Roosevelt's Lend-Lease Act.

The Barney (DD-149) was built by William Cramp and Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and launched two months before the end of World War I. She was commissioned on 14 March 1919 and placed under command of Lieutenant Commander J. L. Kaufman. She served with the Atlantic Fleet, engaging mainly in war games and exercises before she was mothballed in June 1922.

Eight years later, the USS Barney was reactivated and assigned to Scouting Force, a training group operating in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In 1932 she was transferred to the west coast, participating in drills and readiness exercises for the next three years. Between 1935 and 1936, she was again on the east coast, operating with the 10th Training Squadron until she was decommissioned in November.

A month after World War II broke out in Europe, the USS Barney was again pulled out of mothballs. She was assigned patrol duty with the 66th Division of the Atlantic Squadron before she was transferred to the 18th Naval District Defense Force until December 1941.

Wartime Record

Most older destroyers served as convoy escorts during the war, and this was the USS Barney's primary role for the first two years following U.S. entry into World War II. Her primary task was to escort convoys sailing between Guantanamo Bay and Trinidad in the eastern Caribbean. Halfway into this assignment she collided with one of her sister ships, the USS Greer. The accident resulted in the deaths of two crewmen and caused enough damage to necessitate her return to the Charleston Navy Yard in September 1942. Repairs took three months, after which she returned to the Caribbean until November 1943.

During the first half of 1944, the USS Barney crossed the Atlantic twice as a convoy escort, after which she again returned to the Caribbean. In March 1945, she was ordered to Long Island, spending the rest of her career participating in training exercises in Long Island Sound.

The USS Barney was decommissioned in November of 1945 and sold for scrap about a year later.

Asbestos Risks

Aboard American Navy ships throughout World Wars I and II, the substance known as asbestos was commonly installed as compartment insulation and was utilized for its fireproofing abilities. While boilers and mechanical spaces were generally the most common spaces where someone aboard a vessel could inhale asbestos fibers, essentially all sections of a ship such as the USS Barney presented a real danger of asbestos exposure. Increased risk of asbestos inhalation occurred when a vessel was damaged, whether during the course of battle or through daily operations, as asbestos-contaminated components could then break off and enter the air where they could be inhaled or ingested by anyone in the area. Exposure to asbestos can cause the development of serious asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

As with sailors on the other destroyers of this type, those who served aboard the USS Barney were in constant danger of asbestos fiber exposure. Although the USS Barney endured relatively minor damage in combat, the vessel still went through multiple redesigns and repairs. Those who served aboard the vessel or worked during the construction or repairs of the ship may wish to learn more about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. Please click here for a complimentary comprehensive packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index