USS Bordelon (DD-881)

The USS Bordelon (DD-881) was a Gearing-class destroyer named in honor of Marine Staff Sergeant William J. Bordelon, who was killed during the Battle of Tarawa. The Bordelon's keel was laid down at the Consolidated Steel Corporation of Orange, Texas, on 9 September 1944. The hull launched on 3 March 1945, and the completed vessel was commissioned on 5 June 1945.

Bordelon initially operated as a part of the occupation of Japan in the six months following the cessation of hostilities. Her patrols took her as far as China as the allies worked to stabilize the region during the chaotic years. She returned to the east coast in March 1946.

For most of her career, she alternated deployments with the 2nd Fleet in the Atlantic and Caribbean with yearly tours of duty in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet.

In 1964, the Bordelon underwent a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) conversion. These overhauls were intended to upgrade aging World War II destroyers, partially to extend their useful service life, but primarily to improve their anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. This was in keeping with the gradual shift in destroyer tactics since the beginning of the Cold War.

On 14 September 1976, the Bordelon collided with the carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) during a refueling operation. The damage to the 31-year-old vessel was deemed not worth repairing. The USS Bordelon was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 February 1977. Her hulk was sold to Iran, where she was stripped down and used for spare parts.

Asbestos Risks

The mineral asbestos was routinely used for insulation and as fireproofing on each Navy vessel through both world wars, with the boilers and mechanical compartments areas of vessels where crewmen or a technician were most likely to come into contact with asbestos particles. However, practically every part of a ship like the USS Bordelon posed a real danger of asbestos contamination. Increased danger of being subjected to major asbestos exposure resulted when the warship was damaged, in battle or by accident, exposing asbestos-laden materials to the air or subjecting them to fire or flooding.

With asbestos, the highest level of hazard of harmful exposure results whenever fibers are easily broken (or "friable"), because minute microfibers go into the surrounding air, allowing the material to be inhaled or ingested in by people nearby. Occupational asbestos risk has been definitively linked to multiple forms of mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer and and many other serious medical issues. Those workers and sailors who were exposed to asbestos during service may wish to alert their primary care physician of their exposure since many asbestos-induced diseases can be hard to detect.

If you worked on the USS Bordelon, served aboard the vessel or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and wish to learn more about treatment and legal options available to those with the cancer, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet.

Sources

Destroyers Index