USS Butler DD-636

Sixty-two Gleaves-class destroyers were built for the U.S. Navy between 1938 and 1941. Gleaves destroyers were not significantly different from their immediate predecessors, the Benson-class, but had rounded funnels instead of the flattened, oval ones.

The USS Butler (DD-636) was one of the last Gleaves-class destroyers built and her keel was laid down on 16 September 1941 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She launched the following February and was commissioned six months later under the command of Lieutenant Commander M. D. Matthews.

Following her shakedown cruise, the Butler was assigned escort duty in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. In the spring of 1943, she underwent an overhaul in New York and was then ordered to the Mediterranean on 8 June. She arrived in time to participate in the invasion of Sicily that summer, providing offshore bombardment of enemy positions.

Returning to New York in August, she returned to convoy duty until undergoing another overhaul that was completed on 5 May 1944. She played a significant role in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, screening (patrolling for enemy craft) for bombardment vessels and providing cover fire during the assault.

In August, she was assigned to escort duty to carriers of the Royal Navy during the invasion of Vichy France before returning to New York for her third overhaul. The work was completed by late September.

Butler escorted a convoy to southern France in October 1944, then returned to New York for conversion and reclassification. The conversion that turned her into a minesweeper was completed on 21 December, and she was then ordered to the Pacific.

After several weeks of training, Butler was assigned to the Pacific, where she performed the initial mine sweep of the waters off Okinawa prior to the invasion.

During the actual invasion on 25 May, a bomb was dropped near the Butler. It detonated underneath her hull, killing nine members of the crew, severing steam pipes, and flooding the forward fire room. Survivors were able to restore power, enabling the vessel to travel to the Naval base on Kerama Retto for temporary repairs. She was able to return to the U.S. on 26 August.

She was decommissioned on 8 November and sold for scrap in January 1948.

Asbestos Risks

On every U.S. Navy vessel up until the 1960s, the fibrous mineral asbestos was commonly used for insulating pipes and for fire control. A ship's boilers and mechanical compartments usually were the sections where a seaman or a shipyard worker was most likely to inhale asbestos fibers, but essentially every section of a ship such as the USS Butler presented a real danger of asbestos exposure. Even greater danger of experiencing harmful levels of asbestos exposure occurred whenever a craft was hit, in conflict or through daily operation, since such events often exposed asbestos-contaminated materials to the open air where anyone nearby could inhale or ingest the toxic particles.

Exposure to asbestos can cause the development of a serious asbestos-related illness such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer. Mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, can develop when asbestos fibers become lodged in organs or body cavities, causing inflammation or infection. Navy veterans with a history of exposure to asbestos fibers should inform their medical professionals about this history to aid in the detection of an asbestos-related disease since diagnosis can be difficult.

Since symptoms often resemble more common illnesses such as influenza, many are unaware of the severity of their condition. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or served aboard the USS Butler or worked on the construction or repairs of the vessel and wish to learn more about the cancer, treatment and legal options, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet in the mail.

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