USS Flusser DD-368

Eighteen Mahan-class destroyers were built in the years just prior to the Second World War; the Mahans were one of six classes of destroyers that represented the fourth generation of early modern naval vessels, many of which served into the 1960s. The USS Flusser (DD-368) was the fifth of the Mahan-type vessels to be built; her keel was laid at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (not an agency of the Federal government) on 4 June 1934. She was launched on 28 September 1935 and commissioned a year later under Cmdr. F. L. Lowe.

First Mission

Flusser's first task was to patrol the western Mediterranean with destroyer squadron 40-T, which had been deployed in late 1936 to protect American shipping during the Spanish Civil War. After her return to the naval facility at Hampton Roads, Virginia, in February 1937, she was assigned routine patrol along the Atlantic coast before being transferred to San Diego in July, her home base for the next two years.

Pearl Harbor

Two days before the attack, Flusser put to sea with the carrier USS Lexington, and she didn't return until 12 December. After a few weeks of seeking out the Japanese carriers, she went on convoy duty between Hawaii and the west coast until April 1942, then headed for the South Pacific. After dropping off a marine garrison at Palmyra Atoll, she remained there, operating as a patrol ship and a convoy, for the duration. Her constant activity sailing long distances among the islands required several overhauls and repair periods, which were undertaken at Pearl Harbor in July 1942 and February 1943. Another overhaul was undertaken in January 1944. By April of that year, her machinery had become so worn that she had to be taken to San Francisco for two months of repairs and refits, carried out at Mare Island near Vallejo from April to June 1944.

Returning to the combat zone in August of that year, Flusser continued with her regular duties. On 7 September, she engaged a Japanese shore battery on Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands, during which nine crewmen were injured.

A month later, she was on her way to the Philippines, where she saw intensive action over the next three months as Allied forces wrested control of those islands away from the Empire of Japan.

Following another overhaul at Manila in late July and August 1945, Flusser steamed for Okinawa and then Sasebo near Nagasaki for occupation duty. The Flusser's officers were assigned to inspect Japanese ships until the end of October.

Flusser arrived in San Diego on 19 November 1945. The following summer, she participated in Operation Crossroads testing nukes in the Marshalls, then returned to the Norfolk NOB in November 1946. She was decommissioned a month later and scrapped in January 1948.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was widely used for pipe insulation and for fire control aboard each American navy craft through both world wars. The vessel's boilers and engineering sections were usually the sections where sailors or a technician was prone to be endangered by airborne asbestos, but nearly every part of a ship like the Flusser posed a real danger of asbestos risk. Even greater danger of experiencing extensive asbestos exposure occurred when the craft was damaged, whether in combat or accidentally, since such events frequently uncovered asbestos-laden components to the air or subjected them to flames or flooding.

When dealing with asbestos, the most serious danger to human health happens where products made from the mineral deteriorate and become friable, because if very small asbestos fibers can enter the surrounding air, the material can then be breathed in by people close to the asbestos. Research has proven that grave health issues such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma are linked to occupational asbestos inhalation.

Because many asbestos-related disorders are hard to detect, naval veterans who were exposed to this mineral should immediately notify their medical professionals of this history. To learn more about the diagnostic process, available treatment options and financial assistance to help pay for medical costs, please fill out this form to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

As with people on other ships of her type, servicemen who served aboard the Flusser were at risk for asbestos fiber inhalation, in part because the Flusser suffered moderate combat damage and underwent extensive renovations and patch jobs. In addition, the troops who worked on board the Flusser were also in contact with asbestos in the ordinary conduct of their duties. This was also true for port-based workers such as pipefitters and electricians who maintained the vessel when the USS Flusser was in port.

In light of what we now know about the consequences of asbestos exposure, it is vital for the risks posed by past exposure to asbestos to be fully understood by the troops who at any time in their career sailed and worked on board this naval vessel, as well as those who served on her sisters in the fleet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index