USS Brown DD-546

USS Brown (DD-546) had a long and distinguished career which lasted nearly 40 years. One of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during World War II, the vessel was laid down on 27 June 1942 and launched in February 1943. The Brown received her commission on 10 July 1943 and was placed under the command of Lieutenant Commander Thomas H. Copeman.

After three months at Pearl Harbor, Brown sailed for the South Pacific with Task Force 50 as a carrier screen during no fewer than 24 major campaigns over the next year, culminating in the reconquest of the Philippines during the fall of 1944.

Following her rescue of survivors of the typhoon of 17-18 December 1944, Brown was ordered to the naval facility in Seattle, Washington, for long-overdue repairs and overhaul. The work took three months to complete, after which she headed for Okinawa for radar picket duty.

After the surrender of Japan, Brown remained with the occupation forces until the end of October 1945. She returned home on 17 November 1945 and was placed in reserve at San Diego the following year.

In 1950, Brown was again called to duty. After a shakedown cruise off the California coast, she headed for Korea, providing support during the siege of Wonsan Harbor. She completed a total of six tours of duty in the Far East between March 1951 and February 1962, when she was decommissioned and sold to Greece.

The former USS Brown served with the Hellenic Navy as the HNS Navarino for 19 years before she was scrapped in 1981.

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 Brown 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 Brown 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.

Sources:

Destroyers Index