USS Chew DD-106

The USS Chew (DD-106) was a Wickes-class destroyer built in San Francisco in 1918 by the Union Iron Works. Commissioned in December under the command of Commander J. H. Klein Jr., she departed for her assigned home base in Newport, Rhode Island, on the 21st and arrived on 10 January 1919. After undergoing repairs in New York and a training cruise out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she accompanied the first transatlantic flight in history, completed a tour of the Mediterranean, then returned to New York City for repairs on 5 June. The vessel then sailed for San Diego on 17 September, arriving a month later.

In November, after less than 18 months in the water, her duties were curtailed and she was used on occasion until she was mothballed on 1 June 1922.

USS Chew was reactivated on 14 October 1940 and ordered to Pearl Harbor for training duty and routine patrols. The vessel was moored in Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attack on the harbor occurred. Undamaged in the attack (her crew succeeded in taking down two of the attackers), she remained at Pearl Harbor in the same capacity as trainer and patrol ship. She also operated as a convoy escort among the islands and between Pearl Harbor and west coast mainland ports as well.

After the Japanese surrender, Chew was ordered to Philadelphia to stand down. She was decommissioned on 10 October 1945 and sold for scrap a year later.

Asbestos Risks

Throughout World War I and World War II vessels utilized by the United States Navy commonly used the mineral asbestos for insulation and fireproofing materials. A ship's boilers and mechanical compartments were often the areas of a vessel where exposure to asbestos was likely to occur though essentially all parts of a ship such as the USS Chew presented a significant risk of asbestos exposure. The hazards associated with exposure were elevated when asbestos fibers broke off into the air. The chance of this happening increased when a ship was damaged in battle or became worn during daily operations.

When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested into the body they can become lodged in organs and cavities, causing inflammation or infection and, overtime, the development of a serious asbestos-related illness such as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer that typically develops in the lining of the lungs. Patients typically do not demonstrate symptoms of the illness until 20 to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos occurred.

Today, veterans comprise approximately 30 percent of mesothelioma patients. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or served aboard the USS Chew and wish to learn more about the cancer, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet in the mail.

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Destroyers Index