USS Corry DD-463

The USS Corry (DD-463) was the second of three U.S. destroyers to bear the name. A Gleaves-class vessel, the USS Corry was one of 62 built between 1938 and 1942. Designed by the naval architectural firm of Gibbs and Cox, the Gleaves was the last of six classes of destroyer designed and constructed during the U.S. Navy's modernization program of the 1930s.

The Corry was laid down in September 1940 at the Charleston Navy Yard and launched 28 July 1941. She was commissioned under the command of Lieutenant Commander E. C. Burchette 11 days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

After her shakedown cruise and special operations with Radio Washington at Annapolis, Corry's first duty was to escort the passenger liner RMS Queen Elizabeth into New York on 22 May. For the next six months, she operated primarily along the Atlantic seaboard and the Caribbean.

Her first combat duty came in late October, when she provided cover fire for Allied landings in North Africa. She was back at home port in early December for repairs and refits at the naval yards in Norfolk and Boston before resuming her earlier patrols in the Caribbean and along the coast until mid-February. The next year was spent as an escort for convoys to North Africa, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the Gulf of Mexico.

From 16 February until the end of March 1944, Corry operated as a submarine hunter-killer, sinking a number of German U-boats and bringing survivors home as POWs. She then went into the Boston Navy Yard for three weeks of repairs and maintenance.

On 20 April, Corry sailed for Great Britain in order to train and prepare for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy.

There are conflicting reports about what happened during the ensuing battle. The captain's log states that she was hit amidships below the waterline, which appears to concur with the German records available as well as accounts from the crewmen themselves. This was the report submitted by Captain George Hoffman, then in command, two weeks later. However, for no apparent reason, Captain Hoffman's report was discarded and rewritten just before it was forwarded to Naval headquarters. Neither Captain Hoffman nor any of his surviving officers or crew were consulted or interviewed. The "official" report stated that the Corry had struck a mine that exploded below the engineering section, noting this as the cause of her sinking. The shell fire was reported as "incidental damage."

Captain Hoffman was later interviewed by correspondent Edward R. Murrow on CBS and confirmed his original report.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was commonly utilized for insulating pipes and fire control in every United States Navy vessel that operated through World War I and World War II. While the engine room and engineering spaces were generally where crewmen or repair personnel were most at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers, practically all parts of destroyers such as the USS Corry presented a significant level of asbestos risk.

When a ship was damaged in battle, or through daily operations, a greater risk of asbestos exposure occurred since fibers could break off into the air where anyone nearby could inhale or ingest them into the body. The fibers could then become lodged in organs or body cavities, causing inflammation or infection and, overtime, the development of an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma.

Veterans and those who worked on the construction or repairs of ships throughout World War I and World War II may have been exposed to asbestos regularly. Understanding symptoms associated with mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure, can aid in early detection which may provide greater treatment options to those diagnosed. For a comprehensive packet about the cancer, please click here and Asbestos.com will mail a copy to the address provided.

Veterans with a history of exposure to asbestos may wish to notify their doctor of their exposure since diagnosis can be difficult. Symptoms of asbestos-related diseases often do not surface until decades after initial exposure to asbestos occurred.

Sources:

Destroyers Index