USS Cotten DD-669

The USS Cotten (DD-669) was produced by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Kearney, New Jersey, between 8 February and 12 June 1943 and commissioned only six weeks later. She was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers.

Cotten reported to Pearl Harbor for duty on 31 October 1943, joining the Fifth Fleet and participating in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. In January 1944, she joined the Fast Carrier Task Force, a spearhead group that led the Pacific campaign. Her primary function was to screen carriers.

She continued to serve as a screen and provide bombardment cover in the South Pacific, though her worst damage did not occur as a result of Japanese shells or torpedoes, but from the sea itself when she was caught in the monumental typhoon of 17-18 December 1944. She was repaired at the naval base on Ulithi Atoll in the Carolines during the last week of December. Cotten again underwent an overhaul at a west coast port during the summer of 1945.

Cotten served with the occupation force after Japan's surrender, sailing for home on 22 December 1945 and arriving on the east coast a little more than three weeks later. She was decommissioned at Charleston, South Carolina on 15 July 1946.

The Navy pulled her out of mothballs in 1951. She operated in the Caribbean for a few months before she was stationed at Newport, Rhode Island. Cotten did a tour of duty in Korea in 1953 as well as tours in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet in 1955 and 1957-59. She was put back into the mothball fleet at the NOB in Norfolk in May of 1960, and sold for scrap 15 years later.

Asbestos Risks

Those who serve in the military have always understood that service comes along with certain inherent risks. Naturally the danger of battle is always a concern though throughout much of the 20th century, however, many were unaware of another very serious danger men and women often faced daily aboard ships and vessels utilized by the United States Navy. Exposure to asbestos commonly occurred on destroyers like the USS Cotten because the mineral was used throughout the vessel because of its innate resistance to heat and fire.

Being able to halt the spread of fire on a Navy vessel is critical and during the time when the USS Cotten and other destroyers were built, the fibrous mineral asbestos was frequently used on ships for its ability to withstand flames. Unfortunately exposure to the toxic mineral can result in the development of serious asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that often affects the lining of the lungs.

Exposure to asbestos was a greater risk when a vessel was subject to damage at sea. This can cause asbestos-containing materials to release the toxic fibers into the air where those nearby could inhale or ingest the particles into the body. Practically all spaces in ships like the USS Cotten had parts made with asbestos and sailors were often faced with some level of asbestos exposure even during their everyday tasks. Anyone working in enclosed areas containing asbestos, such as the USS Cotten's mechanical sections or engines, was particularly at risk. Those who served aboard were not the only ones exposed to asbestos. Shipyard workers who maintained the ships when they were in port or those who worked on the construction of vessels were were also subjected to airborne asbestos.

The symptoms of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma may take decades to appear. In order to accurately diagnose asbestos-related diseases, a doctor needs to understand a patient's experience with asbestos exposure. If you lived or worked aboard USS Cotten during your service or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and wish to learn more, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary packet with comprehensive information about the cancer, treatment and legal options.

Sources:

Destroyers Index