USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838)

USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838) was a Gearing-class destroyer, launched on 14 June 1945 from the Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine and was commissioned on 21 August 1945 with Commander T. D. McGrath serving as her first captain.

Following her shakedown trials out of Guantanamo Bay, she sailed for the Mediterranean on 11 January 1946 for a series of peacetime patrols. She continued in this mission until 7 August.

Following a period of yard availability, Small was posted to New London, Connecticut, until 14 December, when she was laid up for repairs at Boston. On 3 April 1947, the vessel was pushed aground by a violent windstorm. With help from two tugs, the vessel was eventually able to return to Boston for repairs.

On 12 June, Ernest G. Small got underway for Norfolk, Virginia. For the next year, she carried out various operations and routine missions in local waters as well as the Caribbean and South America.

On 7 June 1947, Small began a midshipman cruise to the Mediterranean, returning to Norfolk on 21 July. Her third tour in the Mediterranean was completed between 30 August 1948 and 23 January 1949. For the remainder of the year, she remained in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic coast.

Korea

From January to May 1950, the Small cruised in the Mediterranean and around northern Europe. With the outbreak of war in Korea, she received orders to report to the 7th Fleet. During this deployment, Small operated with carrier forces, engaging in shore bombardments and supporting the landings at Inchon and Wonsan that fall. In December, the vessel and her crew assisted in the evacuation the 10th Army Corps from Hungnam and Inchon.

Following a brief maintenance period in San Diego, the Small began her second Korean deployment in June 1951. Initially operating as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Rendova, she was participating in the naval bombardment of Hungnam on 7 October when she struck a mine, seriously damaging her bow while killing nine crewmen and wounding 18. Four days later, heavy seas caused the bow to break off completely.

The Small was fitted with a temporary replacement, enabling her to reach Long Beach. She arrived on 18 December 1951. During her year in the yard, the bow of the unfinished Seymour D. Owens was grafted to her hull. The vessel also underwent conversion to a radar picket ship and received a new hull designation of DDR-838.

Peacetime Patrols

Ernest G. Small returned to active duty on 2 December 1952. Following training exercises off the California coast, she departed on her first peacetime tour to the Far East from 11 July 1953 through 29 January 1954 as a unit of the blockade and escort force for the Taiwan area. It was the first of several annual tours the vessel would make over the following years, including peacekeeping patrols, diplomatic visits to Asian and Australian ports and war game exercises with naval forces of other SEATO nations.

Arriving in Long Beach on 16 November following her 1960 deployment to Asia, the Small entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul, during which virtually every system aboard received significant upgrades.

Following service in Vietnam in the mid to late 1960s, the USS Ernest G. Small was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 13 November 1970 and transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan) the following April. She served in the Taiwanese Navy as ROCS Fu Yang (DD-7) until December 1999. She was sunk in a targeting exercise on 8 October 2003.

Asbestos Risks

In every American Navy vessel utilized throughout World War I and World War II, the substance known as asbestos was commonly utilized for pipe insulation and as a fireproofing material. While nearly every section of destroyers like the USS Ernest G. Small 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 Ernest G. Small 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 Ernest G. Small 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.

Sources

Destroyers Index