USS Broome DD-210

The Clemson-class destroyer was the most common ship in the U.S. Navy in the years following World War I. They were largely out of date and obsolete by the time the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, but several served again, mostly working as convoy escorts, transporting troops and serving in other support roles.

The USS Broome (DD-210) was built between October 1918 and May of 1919 by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia and was commissioned just over a year from the anniversary of when her keel was laid down. Commander C. M. Austin was her first captain.

Sailing from the New York Navy Yard in 1920, she spent her first year in Europe, in the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas with calls at English and French ports before spending a year in the Far East. She then reported to San Diego and was decommissioned in December 1922.

The Navy pulled her out of the reserve fleet in February 1930, and she served in the Pacific for the next nine years. When World War II broke out in Europe, she was assigned to Norfolk.

In the months prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, she was part of the Neutrality Patrol, monitoring action between Britain and Germany in the Atlantic. Once the U.S. was in the war, she was assigned convoy escort duty between the U.S. and Reykjavik. Eventually, her duties took her to the Caribbean, Great Britain and the coast of North Africa.

She was ordered to the Charleston Naval Yard in May 1945, where she underwent an overhaul and conversion. In early June, she reported to the naval base on Guantanamo Bay and served in training capacities until she was ordered to stand down on 10 December and report to the city of her birth for a last overhaul prior to decommissioning. The USS Broome was decommissioned and sold for scrap the following year.

Asbestos Risks

On board every American naval craft through two world wars, asbestos, a fibrous mineral, was routinely employed for insulating compartments and as fireproofing mechanism. A ship's boilers and engineering spaces were typically the areas of a vessel where crew members were most likely to inhale asbestos fibers. However, essentially every section of a ship such as the USS Broome presented some risk of asbestos exposure. An increased risk of asbestos exposure occurred if a ship was damaged during battle or daily operations, 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 mesothelioma, asbestosis, tumors and other dangerous health conditions. Since most asbestos-related diseases can be difficult to diagnose since the symptoms can be mistaken for symptoms of less-serious illnesses, those who worked around this mineral may wish to alert their doctor of their past history of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos exposure can cause the development of mesothelioma, a rare cancer, when fibers are inhaled or ingested into the body where they can become lodged in organs and cavities. This can lead to inflammation and infection and the development of the cancer. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or served aboard the USS Broome and wish to learn more about symptoms, the diagnostic process, treatment and legal options, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet.

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Destroyers Index