USS Duncan (DD-874)

The USS Duncan (DD-874) was a Gearing-class destroyer, launched on 27 October 1944 by Consolidated Steel Corporation of Orange, Texas. She was commissioned on 25 February 1945 with Commander P. D. Williams serving as her first master and commander.

After undergoing conversion to a radar picket destroyer during her post-shakedown overhaul, the Duncan departed for the Pacific where she engaged in combat operations. Duncan continued on occupation duty until 25 March 1946. She returned to her assigned home port of San Diego on 28 April.

For the next year, Duncan's crew engaged primarily in readiness exercises along the California coast. In May 1947 she departed San Diego for a five-month deployment to the Far East, visiting Okinawa, Japan and China. On her return to the United States, Duncan resumed coastal operations with both aircraft and submarines.

On 1 March 1948, an explosion occurred on board Duncan in which two crew members were killed and 14 more injured. After undergoing repairs at Long Beach, the destroyer rejoined the fleet, sailing for an eight-month deployment to the Far East in January 1949.

Duncan engaged in routine patrols and operations, sailing between San Diego and Pearl Harbor until November 1950, when she was ordered to Korea. Duncan eventually served three tours of duty in Korea as a plane guard and anti-submarine escort and provided offshore gunfire in support of ground operations.

1950s and Early 1960s

The USS Duncan remained busy as the vessel alternated Far East deployments with routine training and readiness operations along the Pacific coast. During her overseas deployments, she visited ports in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and many islands of the Pacific.

In October 1960, Duncan entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for her Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) upgrades. The overhauls were completed primarily to improve anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. The refits were not completed until June 1961.

In October of that year, Duncan was transferred to a new home port at Yokosuka, Japan. During this period, she visited several Far East ports and engaged in joint exercises with South Korean naval vessels, interrupted only by a two-month yard availability in port during the winter of 1962-63. She returned to San Diego in June 1964.

Vietnam

Duncan underwent an overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington in January 1965. After a few months of training and three weeks of last-minute adjustments at the Long Beach Shipyard in July, Duncan departed for her first Vietnam deployment, arriving at the end of September. After several combat tours, Duncan arrived in Hong Kong for a short visit before sailing for home. She arrived in San Diego on 26 February 1966.

After several months in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, during which her boilers and air casing bilges underwent maintenance and repairs, Duncan hosted a midshipman's cruise during the summer of 1966.

Duncan returned to Vietnam in January 1967, reporting to Yankee Station at the end of the month. During this deployment, she participated in Operation Sea Dragon, followed by carrier operations that lasted until the end of May.

Duncan arrived in San Diego on 19 June after almost six months away from home. Most of the summer of 1967 was spent in training missions. In December, she was ordered to San Francisco in order to observe a Soviet science vessel operating off the coast. She returned to San Diego in January 1968. The period between 13 March and 10 June was spent at the Long Beach yard undergoing maintenance. The remainder of the summer consisted of training operations before Duncan departed for her next Vietnam deployment on 15 November.

In the early spring, Duncan was ordered to the Sea of Japan for carrier operations. During this mission, Duncan collided with a Japanese freighter on 20 March 1969. Although the damage was superficial, she proceeded to Sasebo for two weeks of dry-dock repair. She returned to San Diego on 7 June after a 204-day deployment.

After returning from her second Far East deployment, the USS Duncan spent the next two years functioning primarily as a school ship. She was decommissioned on 15 January 1971 and sunk off the coast of California during a training exercise in 1980.

Asbestos Risks

The substance known as asbestos was widely used for insulation and for fireproofing on board every American naval ship through both world wars. Although nearly all areas of ships like the USS Duncan posed a significant level of asbestos risk, each ship's engine room and mechanical compartments were usually the spaces where sailors or repair personnel were most likely to come into contact with asbestos particles. When the craft, whether during combat or through routine operations, was damaged and exposed asbestos-laden materials to the open air, those aboard ships and vessels were at risk of inhaling or ingesting toxic asbestos particles.

With asbestos, the highest level of risk to human health is experienced whenever items containing the mineral become damaged and fragile, because when minute asbestos filaments become airborne, the particles may then be inhaled and become lodged in organs or body cavities. Asbestos exposure is known to cause serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Navy personnel with a history of exposure to this mineral may wish to inform their family doctor, since asbestos-related disorders are hard to diagnose as symptoms can be mistaken for symptoms of other illnesses.

If you worked on the USS Duncan, served aboard the vessel or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and wish to learn more about treatment and legal options available to those with the cancer, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet.

Sources

Destroyers Index