USS Furse (DD-882)

The USS Furse (DD-882) was a Gearing-class destroyer built at the Consolidated Steel Corporation of Orange, Texas. The keel was laid on 23 September 1944; her hull was launched on 9 March 1945, and the completed vessel commissioned on 10 July 1945.

The Gearing-type destroyers were designed as an improvement on the previous two classes, having greater range. Most Gearings were converted into radar picket ships after completion of shakedown trials in anticipation of an actual invasion of Japan - which never materialized.

Early Service Record

Furse got underway for occupation duty in the Far East on 7 November 1945, arriving on 22 December. After providing courier and transport services between Nagoya and Wakayama for several months, she reported to Pearl Harbor, where her crew prepared for their role in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Furse returned to San Diego on 12 August 1946, where she remained until her transfer to the Atlantic Fleet in April 1949. During that time, she carried out routine training duties along the California coast in addition to another deployment to the Far East.

On 18 March 1949, Furse was given the new designation of "DDR" (for "radar"). She dropped anchor at her new port of Newport, Rhode Island on 21 April 1949.

Cold War Operations

On 10 September 1949, Furse got underway for the first of several annual deployments to the Mediterranean; these deployments were to continue into the 1960s. In January 1951, Furse was moved to Norfolk, which was her home port until 1959. Furse was again transferred, this time to Charleston, in 1959.

Furse's service highlights during the 1950s included the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Israel and Egypt during the Suez Crisis, an extended Mediterranean deployment during the Lebanese civil war and participation in NATO exercises in Northern Europe. In addition to routine training missions in the Atlantic and Caribbean, Furse played her part in the blockade of Cuba during the missile crises in the fall of 1962.

The FRAM Upgrades

The Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) Program was carried out on a large number of aging but serviceable World War II-era vessels between 1958 and 1964. Although these overhauls involved upgrades of virtually all on-board systems, the primary purpose was to increase anti-submarine warfare capabilities in keeping with new Cold War tactics. Furse underwent her FRAM upgrades at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1963.

From Outer Space to Tonkin

In 1965, Furse was part of the recovery team during one of the Gemini space missions. 1967 saw Furse go into the Boston Naval Shipyard for a period of overhaul and refits, followed by a refresher training period out of Guantanamo Bay and a return to routine operations in the Atlantic.

In 1968, Furse made her first Far East deployment since the late 1940s when she was ordered to Vietnam. For several months, she provided gunfire support to shore operations and carried out search and rescue (SAR) and radar picket duties on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. She returned to Norfolk the following year.

Fate

The USS Furse was decommissioned on 31 August 1972. In June 1975, the vessel was transferred to Spain, where she served as the Gravina until being scrapped in 1991.

Asbestos Risks

Through the ages, those who serve in the armed forces have accepted that they face many risks. But as well as the obvious hazards one associates with serving in the military, a lesser-known one endangered those who served in the 20th century: exposure to asbestos.

Since flames onboard an ocean vessel can be extremely difficult to deal with, fireproofing is a vital factor in shipbuilding. As a result, it was normal (and in many cases required by law) for insulators like the mineral asbestos to be used when ships like USS Furse were built. Asbestos was known even in ancient times for its insulation properties, but it was also shown to be the primary factor in the development of such serious illnesses including asbestosis and pericardial mesothelioma. We now know impairment of human health happens when asbestos is broken up into microscopic fibers that can be inhaled or ingested.

The consequences of contact with asbestos weren't likely a major concern to many navy files while they were concerned with defending against enemy weapon fire or dealing with severe weather. But exposure to asbestos was a severe secondary hazard of combat, as widespread damage to a navy ship often also damaged asbestos-containing parts so that the fibers could be inhaled by those in close proximity. Furthermore, as nearly every area of naval vessels like USS Furse had asbestos-containing materials, sailors generally faced some level of asbestos exposure even as they performed their normal duties. With asbestos being common around pipes and mechanical areas, service personnel who spent time in such areas were particularly in danger. But it wasn't only shipboard personnel who were endangered by asbestos; people who maintained Furse when it was in dry dock for repairs were also exposed to airborne asbestos.

Diseases associated with asbestos exposure can be tricky to tell apart from a variety of other illnesses, since they can have similar symptoms to those conditions. In order to make an accurate diagnosis, a physician needs to understand a patient's history of asbestos exposure. Naval veterans who overhauled or served aboard USS Furse are therefore advised to talk about their history with their healthcare providers. 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.

Sources

Destroyers Index