USS Farenholt DD-491

The Benson-class destroyer USS Farenholt (DD-491) was the second vessel of the same name and was built by the Bethlehem Steel Company at its Staten Island yard. The vessel launched three weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was commissioned in April 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander E. T. Seaward.

On 1 July 1942, Farenholt left San Diego for Tonga, where her crew took part in shore bombardment exercises in preparation for the invasion of Guadalcanal on 7 August. During the actual invasion, she functioned as a screen for the carrier USS Wasp during aerial strikes, protecting the carrier from smaller, fast-moving submarines and torpedo boats. When Wasp was sunk a month later, Farenholt rescued 143 of her crew, including the captain of the vessel and the commodore commanding the task force.

After a month of screening occupation troops on Funafuti in Tuvalu, Farenholt was assigned to the dangerous task of intercepting the nightly supply convoys from Japan (known as the "Tokyo Express"). On the night of 11-12 October, her Task Group made contact with the enemy. In the ensuing Battle of Cape Esperance, Farenholt took three hits, killing three crewmen and injuring 43. With holes below her waterline in her port hull, she was saved when the crew shifted oil and topside weights, causing her to list to starboard and raising the holes out of the water. She was able to make it back to port on Espiritu Santo the next day for temporary repairs that enabled her to get back to the yard at Pearl Harbor.

After three months of repairs, Farenholt returned to the action in March 1943. The next several months were occupied with bombardments and escorts among the various U.S. ports. On 25 February 1944, Farenholt was once again holed below her waterline, this time on the starboard side. The crew once more saved the vessel, enabling her to get back to a nearby base where temporary repairs were made so she was able to return to the United States for an overhaul and refit.

She returned to duty in July, screening carriers and carrying out bombardments as Allied forces made inroads into the Philippines through September, October and November.

The USS Farenholt's squadron was then assigned duty in the Carolines and Marianas, escorting convoys between the two until she was ordered to Okinawa in May.

The Okinawa campaign kept Farenholt busy, completing screening, escorts and rescue operations as well as bombardments of key enemy installations, particularly the airfields from which the deadly kamikaze attacks were launched.

On 22 September 1945, the Farenholt carried an Army general to accept the formal Japanese surrender. She remained in the area until sailing for home at the beginning of November.

The USS Farenholt reached Charleston, South Carolina on 8 December 1945 and was mothballed the following April. After more than a quarter century of reserve status, she was removed from the Naval register and scrapped in November 1972.

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 Farenholt 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 Farenholt 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 Farenholt 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