USS Frank Knox DD-742

The USS Frank E. Knox (DD-742) was a Gearing-class vessel, the last class of destroyers designed and built for the Second World War and based on the successful Fletcher-class. These were a modified version of the previous Sumner-class, itself essentially a Fletcher upgrade. The Gearing had improved anti-aircraft capability and a longer hull, allowing a larger fuel tank and therefore greater range.

Early Service

The Knox was built in Bath, Maine, and commissioned in December 1944. She arrived in the Pacific just in time for the last carrier raids on Japan with the Fast Carrier Force. After five months of occupation duty, she returned to the States in February 1946. After a few more tours of duty in Asia, she was reclassified as a radar picket destroyer in March 1949, meaning her job would be to monitor incoming aircraft and vessels and warning the main fleet.

Korea and the Cold War

The Knox did three tours of duty during the Korean conflict, and was there from the outset, taking part of the initial Inchon invasion and shelling onshore enemy positions. Following the cease-fire, Knox was ordered to the Far East on several occasions with the 7th Fleet.

In 1960, Knox was one of several aging destroyers selected for upgrades under the Navy's FRAM II modernization program. This was followed by a three-year tour in the Far East, then deployment to Vietnam in June 1965. A month after her arrival, she ran aground on a coral reef. Salvage was difficult and damage was extensive, but the Navy decided to repair her anyway; she was towed to the NB at Yokosuka, Japan. Repairs took well over a year, and she was not back in action until November 1966.

The Themistoklis

Knox did one final tour of Vietnam in November 1970 and was decommissioned upon her return in January 1971. Shortly afterwards, she was transferred to the Greek Navy and renamed RHS Themistoklis (D-210) after the ancient Athenian statesman who is credited with the founding of the Athenian Navy that defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. She served for another 20 years before decommissioned, and was sunk in a training exercise in 2001.

Asbestos Risks

Through WWII, every American navy craft widely installed the substance known as asbestos for insulating compartments and for fireproofing, with each ship's engines and mechanical compartments the areas where seamen or dockworkers were prone to be exposed to air contaminated by asbestos, though practically every part of ships like the Knox offered at least some asbestos risk. Increased danger of undergoing major asbestos inhalation occurred if the ship was damaged, in combat or accidentally, since such events often uncovered asbestos-containing components to the open air or subjected them to fire or water.

When dealing with asbestos, the most serious risk to human health occurs in situations where fibers are easily broken (or "friable"), because when tiny asbestos strands go into the surrounding air, the material can then be breathed in by people nearby. Researchers have demonstrated that grave medical conditions such as asbestosis, lung cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma are associated with significant asbestos contact.

Those workers and sailors with a history of exposure to asbestos fibers should immediately tell their family doctor, because many asbestos-induced conditions can be tricky to diagnose as the symptoms can be mistaken for those of other illnesses. 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 is the case with servicemen on other ships of the same class, servicemen who lived and worked on board the Knox were all too often in danger of asbestos fiber exposure, especially because the Knox experienced heavy damage in combat and underwent extensive redesigns and patch jobs. Moreover, besides this large-scale combat damage and retrofit activity, the men who worked on board the Knox were also subject to inhalation of asbestos fibers in the ordinary conduct of their service, as were maintenance workers such as pipe fitters and carpenters who maintained the craft when the Knox was in port for repairs.

Considering the USS Frank Knox's service record, it is important that the troops who at any time in their career sailed and worked on board this ship or other Navy ships find out about the dangers posed by former exposure to asbestos fibers, particularly based on our increased understanding of the consequences of prolonged contact with asbestos.

Sources:

Destroyers Index