USS Foote DD-511

The USS Foote (DD-511) was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers that were the mainstay of the U.S. Navy well into the 1960s and served with the naval forces of other nations as late as 2001 - almost 60 years after the first Fletcher-type vessel was laid down. The Foote was a product of the Bath Iron Works, built in under 180 days from April to October 1942 and commissioned a mere 10 weeks later under command of Cmdr. Bernard Austin.

War Service

After her shakedown, Foote's first assignment was to escort a convoy to North Africa in April 1943. She then sailed for the Pacific, arriving in New Caledonia at the end of June. Following three months of escort duty, she was ordered to intercept Japanese troop transports evacuating Kolombangara Island, where she engaged the enemy for the first time.

A month later, she was off the coast of New Guinea, bombarding Japanese airfields in advance of Allied landings. On 2 November, Foote and her squadron intercepted enemy ships; in the battle that followed, a torpedo took off her stern, killing 19 crewmen and injuring 17. The surviving crew was able to keep her afloat, and she was towed into nearby Purvis Bay the next day for repairs that would allow her to be towed back to the U.S. mainland.

Repairs and Upgrades

The torpedo took Foote out of the action for several months. She arrived at San Pedro under tow of the Navy tug USS Gulf Star and was in the yard undergoing repairs and upgrades until August. Once again seaworthy, she was assigned for training duty for three months before returning to action in November 1944 and the battles for the Philippines. Over the next four months, she was kept busy fighting off enemy aircraft and bombarding enemy shore positions.

In May 1945, she was assigned to radar picket duty off Okinawa, followed by support of Allied landings on the Japanese home islands of Iheya and Aguni. Following Allied victory, she remained in the waters around Okinawa until sailing for home on 10 September.

USS Foote arrived in New York on 17 October 1945. Decommissioned six months later, she was mothballed and lay for 28 years before being sold and scrapped in January 1974.

Asbestos Risks

Aboard every U.S. Navy craft through the war era, the mineral asbestos was commonly used for insulating compartments and as fire control. The engines and engineering compartments of a ship were usually where sailors or shipyard workers were prone to be endangered by fibers of asbestos, but practically every section of the Foote posed a significant level of asbestos contamination. Whenever a vessel was hit, whether in combat or by accident, it almost inevitably uncovered asbestos-contaminated fixtures to the open air or subjected them to fire or water, which resulted in additional danger of having high levels of asbestos contact.

The most serious risk of exposure when dealing with asbestos happens in circumstances where strands become friable, since if tiny asbestos filaments escape into the air, the particles can then be inhaled by those close to the asbestos. Medical research has shown that dangerous health diseases such as asbestosis, cancer of the lungs and peritoneal mesothelioma are linked to significant asbestos contact.

Because most asbestos-related problems are puzzling to accurately diagnose, those exposed to this mineral should immediately tell their primary care physician 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.

It is a sad fact that along with expected dangers of battle, men who sailed on board the Foote were, like sailors on sister destroyers of this class, frequently in danger of asbestos fiber exposure, especially because the Foote absorbed heavy damage in combat and had serious refits and repair jobs. In addition to the significant battle damage and refit activity, the troops who served aboard the Foote were often exposed to asbestos in the normal course of their routine duty, as were repair personnel such as pipefitters and carpenters who worked on the ship when the Foote was in port.

In light of what we now know about the result of asbestos exposure, it is imperative that the dangers posed by service-related exposure to asbestos fibers be fully communicated to those who at any time in their career lived or worked on board this vessel, and those assigned to other American ships.

Sources:

1. Mooney, James. Dictionary of American Fighting Ships. (Washington DC; Department of the Navy, 1991).
2. National Association of Destroyer Veterans. Tin Can Sailors (Web site).

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