USS Charles J. Badger DD-657

The USS Charles J Badger (DD-657) was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers forming the backbone of the U.S. Navy during World War II. Many of these vessels served well into the Vietnam era and beyond, and four are currently preserved as museum ships.

The Badger was laid down in September 1942 at the Bethlehem Shipyard in Staten Island, New York, and launched in April 1943. Her commission came on 23 July of that year, and Commander W. G. Cooper served as her first captain.

First reporting to San Francisco on 30 November, she then steamed north to Alaska, arriving at Adak a little more than two weeks later. For the next 10 months she sailed the frigid waters surrounding the Aleutian Islands, where Japanese forces were attempting to gain a foothold on the North American continent, and bombarded enemy positions in the Kuril Islands between Hokkaido and Kamchatka.

Relief from the cold came when the USS Badger was ordered to the South Pacific in August 1944. On 14 October, she was among the ships that were part of the battle fleet involved in U.S. reconquest of the Philippines. Her main duties in the epic battles that took place during the final months of 1944 had the vessel operating to protect transport ships, particularly from suicide kamikaze attacks.

Badger also played a prominent role in the landings at Kerama Retto. On 9 April, she was hit by a Japanese suicide boat that took out her engines and flooded the compartment. Her crew managed to complete temporary repairs, allowing her to be towed to Kerama Retto, where engineers further repaired her engines. She then steamed to the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington for an overhaul, arriving on 1 August. She was placed in reserve at Long Beach, California the following May.

With the outbreak of the Korean conflict and the Cold War, Badger was taken out of mothballs in September of 1951. After servicing and maintenance, she was assigned to Newport, Rhode Island, and for the next two years operated as a training vessel along the Atlantic seaboard and in the Caribbean. This was followed by a visit to the United Kingdom in 1953 and a tour of duty in Korea and the South China Sea. From 1956 to 1957, she completed two tours with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean before going back into reserve at Boston on 20 December.

The Badger was finally sold in May of 1974 to the Chilean Navy, where she was stripped down for spare parts.

Asbestos Risks

Whether serving during peace or war, soldiers and sailors have long understood that working in the military brings with it expected dangers. What many did not know until the end of the 20th century, however, was that a danger unrelated to enemy actions, the danger of asbestos exposure, was a very real hazard aboard many ships and vessels.

Vessels utilized by the United States Navy throughout World War I and World War II were commonly constructed using the mineral asbestos in insulation and in fireproofing capacities. The engines and mechanical sections of a ship like the USS Charles J. Badger generally were the areas where a crewman or dockworker was most at risk of asbestos exposure on a daily basis. However, nearly all areas of the destroyers such as the USS Charles J. Badger presented at least some risk of asbestos exposure. An increased risk of exposure occurred when a ship was damaged during battle or daily operations. This may cause asbestos fibers to break off and become airborne where they could be inhaled or ingested by anyone aboard.

Exposure to asbestos may cause the development of a serious illness such as mesothelioma (a rare and aggressive cancer, lung cancer and asbestosis. Naval veterans who served aboard the USS Charles J. Badger or other ships and vessels may have been exposed to asbestos regularly. Veterans may wish to notify their doctor of their potential exposure so routine check-ups and proper examinations may be conducted. Alerting your doctor of past exposure may aid in early detection of an asbestos-related disease which can lead to more treatment options.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or served aboard the USS Charles J. Badger and wish to learn more about symptoms, treatment and legal options available to Navy veterans, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet in the mail.

Sources:

Destroyers Index