USS Evans DD-552

The USS Evans (DD-552) was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Construction on the USS Evans began at the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation in Chickasaw, Alabama on 21 July 1941. She was completed and launched on 4 October 1942, and commissioned in December of 1943 under command of Commander F. C. Camp.

After reporting to Pearl Harbor, Evans arrived in the Marshall Islands on 29 March 1944. For six weeks, she patrolled for enemy submarines before returning to Pearl Harbor for a month of training in preparation for the assault on Saipan. She returned to duty on 15 June and continued as a screen (providing protection from subs and small craft) for the oilers (fuel ships) as the Mariana campaign progressed through the summer of 1944. Her screening duties continued through mid-March 1945, except for periodic assignments to bombard enemy shore positions.

On 21 March, the Evans escorted carriers for the air strikes on Okinawa in advance of troop landings. She remained with them for the next ten weeks, then went to the captured Japanese Naval Base on Kerama Retto for a week.

On 10 May 1944, she returned to Okinawa with the Sumner-class USS Hugh W. Hadley for radar picket duty. This hazardous task involved monitoring the radar for enemy aircraft or submarines and radioing a warning to the main flotilla.

During the night of 10-11 May, the two vessels were attacked by more than 100 enemy planes. Four kamikaze suicide pilots struck the Evans, one right after another, killing 32 crewmen and injuring 27. The crew fought to extinguish the fires aboard, finally dousing the flames. The vessel was towed back to Kerama Retto on the 14 May, and emergency repairs were attempted. However, after towing the vessel to San Francisco, it was determined that the cost to restore her was too great. She was decommissioned in November 1945 and scrapped in February 1947.

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 Evans 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 Evans 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 Evans 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