USS Edson (DD-946)

The USS Edson (DD-946) was a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer built between 3 December 1956 and 4 January 1958 at the Bath Iron Works Corporation shipyards in Bath, Maine. She was commissioned on 7 November 1958.

The Edson visited several Caribbean and South American ports during her initial shakedown cruise. Reporting to Long Beach California on 2 March 1959, she spent the remainder of the year in readiness exercises for her first Far East deployment.

On 5 January 1960, Edson departed for patrols in the Taiwan Straits and battle exercises off the coast of Japan. She returned to Long Beach on 31 May for a five-month overhaul, followed by training missions off the California coast for the remainder of the year. In June 1961 Edson sailed to Portland, Oregon, to represent the U.S. Navy at the annual Rose Festival. On 11 August 1961, she departed for her next Far East deployment and patrols in the Taiwan Strait.

Vietnam

On 13 March 1964, Edson departed for her third Far East deployment. During August, the vessel was involved in operations in the Gulf of Tonkin as U.S. involvement in Vietnam escalated. On her fifth deployment in 1967, Edson received a hit from a shore battery during a naval gunfire support mission.

During subsequent Vietnam deployments, Edson served as plane guard for aircraft carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Sea Dragon operations, carried out search and rescue missions and provided gunfire support for ground troops. On 17 June 1968, she was the victim of "friendly fire" from planes of the U.S. Air Force.

On 12 December 1974, a fire broke out in the aft fireroom when an oil line ruptured. The area was secured, however, and the fire extinguished with no casualties.

1970s

Edson was deployed to the Far East in 1970 and 1971. The latter deployment included joint maneuvers with ships of the British and Australian Navies. During September and October, she spent 55 days on the gun line off the Vietnamese coast.

Edson's last mission to Southeast Asia was in 1974, when she participated in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Cambodia.

Edson was shifted to the Atlantic as U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia was reduced over the next few years. She was transferred to a new home port of Newport, Rhode Island in 1977. Here, she became a Surface Warfare Officers' Training Ship, a function she continued to serve for the next 11 years.

Fate

As the last of the active Forrest Sherman destroyers, the USS Edson was decommissioned on 15 December 1988 and towed to the Philadelphia Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for storage. She was a museum ship at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City from 30 June 1989 to 14 June 2004. After undergoing hull repairs at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, she was towed to the Philadelphia Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, where she remains.

At the time of this writing, Bay City, Michigan, is under consideration as Edson's new home. Since 1990, the vessel has the official status of a National Historic Landmark.

Asbestos Risks

The mineral asbestos was widely installed for pipe insulation and fire control in every American Navy destroyer utilized throughout World War I and World War II. While nearly every section of destroyers like the USS Edson contained some level of asbestos, the ship's engines and mechanical spaces were usually the areas where someone aboard a vessel were in the most danger of inhaling asbestos fibers. Additional danger of undergoing extensive asbestos contact occurred when a vessel was damage, whether in combat or through daily operations, since such events often uncovered asbestos-contaminated compartments, allowing asbestos fibers to enter the air where anyone nearby could inhale or ingest them into the body.

Those who lived and worked aboard the USS Edson were not the only ones placed at risk of asbestos exposure. Repair personnel, such as pipe fitters and electricians, who maintained destroyers when they were in port for service and those who worked on the construction of ships and vessels were also frequently exposed to asbestos.

Asbestos exposure can lead to the development of mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Mesothelioma develops when asbestos fibers enter the body and become lodged in organs and cavities, causing inflammation or infection. If you served aboard the USS Edson or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and wish to learn more about your treatment and legal options, please click here and Asbestos.com will send you a complimentary comprehensive packet about the cancer.

Source

Destroyers Index