USS Belknap DD-251

The Clemson-class destroyers were essentially an upgrade of their predecessor, the Wickes-class destroyers. The Clemson-class destroyers were the most numerous of all U.S. Naval vessels until the arrival of the long-lived Fletcher-class in 1941. Although outdated and obsolete by the time the U.S. entered World War II, many Clemson-class destroyers continued in active service through the autumn of 1945.

The USS Belknap (DD-251) was a Clemson-class vessel produced at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Fore River shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her keel was laid down on 31 July 1918, and she was completed less than six months later. The vessel was commissioned on 28 April 1919 under the command of Lieutenant Commander S. Gassee. Following her shakedown cruise, she was posted to the eastern Mediterranean, then returned to the Charleston Navy Yard the following year. The Navy placed her in mothballs at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she stayed for the next 18 years.

In 1940, the Belknap was pulled out of reserve and converted into a seaplane tender. Between November of that year and May of 1942, she operated primarily in the northwestern Atlantic between Bermuda and Iceland. After eight months operating out of Reykjavik, she returned to the Charleston Navy Yard for an overhaul that lasted three months.

Between August 1942 and January 1943, Belknap was assigned to routine patrols in the Caribbean, then assigned to various anti-submarine task groups until November.

Between February and June of 1944, the Belknap operated as a convoy escort. Upon her return to base, she underwent yet another conversion, this time to a high-speed transport. (This was commonly done with older, lighter destroyers of Clemson and Wickes class.)

When the conversion was completed in September 1944, she was ordered to the Pacific, serving as a screen during the invasion of Leyte in the Philippines and providing offshore bombardment for the invasion of Luzon in early January 1945. On January 11, she was hit by a kamikaze pilot, taking out her Number 2 stack and killing or injuring 56 crewmen. Emergency repairs were performed at Lingayen. Afterward the USS Hidatsa towed her to the naval base on the island of Manus of the northern coast of New Guinea, where engineers were able to patch her up enough to return to the United States.

She limped into Philadelphia six months later on 18 June and was decommissioned two weeks later. In November 1945, the USS Belknap was sold for scrap.

Asbestos Risks

On every Navy ship through the 1960s, asbestos was widely utilized to insulate pipes. Since the mineral possesses a natural resistance to heat and fire, it was commonly used aboard ships and vessels for its fireproofing abilities. Nearly all areas of a ship like the USS Belknap presented a danger os exposure to asbestos, though the ship's boiler room and engine sections were areas where exposure was especially common. Experiencing major exposure was even more likely when a destroyer incurred damage in battle or through daily operation, causing asbestos fibers to break off into the air where they could be inhaled or ingested by anyone nearby.

Exposure to asbestos can cause the development of a serious disease such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. If you served aboard the USS Belknap or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare asbestos-related cancer, and wish to learn more about symptoms, treatment and legal options, please click here to receive a complimentary informational packet from Asbestos.com.

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Destroyers Index