USS George K. MacKenzie (DD-836)

USS George K. MacKenzie (DD-836) was a Gearing-class destroyer, launched on 13 May 1945 from the Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, and commissioned 13 July 1945 under the command of Cmdr. Alvin W. Slayden.

"Steel Grey Diplomat"

After her shakedown trials off the coast of Cuba, MacKenzie returned to Boston on 15 September 1945.

Beginning that fall, MacKenzie served with the Operational Development Force out of Norfolk, Virginia, carrying out training exercises and escort duties along the Atlantic seaboard until sailing 5 January 1948 on a goodwill tour to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

MacKenzie returned to Norfolk on 9 February from this diplomatic mission and continued her routine peacetime operations. In October 1948, she sailed for the eastern Mediterranean in support of the U.N. Palestine Patrol and the occupation of Trieste, returning to Newport, Rhode Island, in December.

After undergoing an overhaul at Boston for the first four months of 1949, George K. MacKenzie resumed her peacetime training operations on the eastern seaboard.

In January 1950, MacKenzie was deployed once again to the Mediterranean, remaining there until May. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War the following month, George K. MacKenzie was ordered to the Pacific.

Korea

Her first tour in Korea lasted from 26 July 1950 to 30 January 1951, during which she screened attack carriers during strikes on enemy targets and provided fire support for ground operations. After returning to San Diego for maintenance between 15 February and 17 July 1951, she returned to Korea, remaining on combat duty until April 1952. She was back for another tour of duty there from January to March 1953.

Stationed out of San Diego and Long Beach, California, during the 1950s, MacKenzie completed a total of nine deployments in the Far East between 1953 and 1959.

The 1960s

George K. MacKenzie's home port was changed to Yokosuka, Japan, on 15 February 1960. The next two years were spent carrying out diplomatic and peacekeeping missions throughout the region.

In 1962, George K. MacKenzie was transferred to New York City, arriving on 11 December 1962. She entered Brooklyn Navy Yard for modernization work, returning to active duty in October 1963. The vessel then returned to Long Beach, California, arriving on 28 January 1964, at which time her crew prepared for an extended deployment in the Far East.

Leaving Long Beach on 26 May, MacKenzie reached Yokosuka, Japan, on 13 June. This was the beginning of a 24-month tour of duty during which she alternated patrols in the Sea of Japan with combat deployments to Vietnam.

MacKenzie returned to Long Beach on 3 August 1966 for a major overhaul before returning to Vietnam in mid-1967. On 29 July she was screening the carrier USS Forrestal when fire broke out on the carrier's flight deck. After her crew assisted in dousing the flames, she escorted the stricken carrier to Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs.

Her Final Years

MacKenzie was again deployed to Vietnam in 1971. She returned to San Diego in August 1972. After a brief stand-down period, she was selected to conduct a midshipman training cruise. During this training period, the George K. MacKenzie was ordered to plane guard duty for the carrier USS Ranger, then making preparations for a Vietnam deployment. Although MacKenzie put to sea to await a rendezvous with the carrier, the Ranger never left port; her No. 3 main engine reduction gear had been deliberately sabotaged.

In order to provide at-sea time for the midshipmen and shore leave for the crew, the George K. MacKenzie was given permission to sail to Coos Bay, Oregon, for the 1972 Salmon Festival.

Fate

The USS George K. MacKenzie was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1976 and sunk as a target off the California coast two weeks later.

Asbestos Risks

People who served our country in the armed forces have always known that their enlistments come with inherent dangers, regardless of whether or not they experience battle action. However, what most of our military personnel in the majority of the 1900s, especially those aboard navy ships, didn't realize was that inhalation of asbestos could eventually prove to be just as deadly as enemy attacks.

Being able to control the spread of fire on a ship is critical; many shipboard disasters illustrate the danger of conflagrations at sea. Therefore, it was not unusual (and in many cases required by law) for fire retardants like the mineral asbestos to be included when destroyers like USS George K. MacKenzie were built. Unfortunately, what wasn't known or was sometimes overlooked was that contact with asbestos can cause serious conditions such as pleural plaques and pericardial mesothelioma. It is now common knowledge that damage to human health happens in situations where asbestos is broken up into tiny pieces that are inhaled.

During an enemy attack or while working to ride out severe weather, the likelihood of eventually contracting pericardial mesothelioma was undoubtedly the furthest thing from most sailors' thoughts. But exposure to asbestos was in fact a serious secondary hazard of such circumstance, as widespread damage to a ship frequently uncovered asbestos so that the fibers could be inhaled by people in close proximity. Furthermore, as practically every area of destroyers like USS George K. MacKenzie contained asbestos, all onboard typically faced some amount of exposure to asbestos even when performing their everyday duties. In addition, a sailor toiling in poorly ventilated quarters where asbestos was present, such as a ship's boilers or engine room, was particularly in danger. But it wasn't just shipboard sailors who were endangered by asbestos; shipyard workers who serviced the vessel when she was in dry dock to be overhauled were also exposed to airborne asbestos.

Because asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma frequently don't appear until decades after the patient was first subjected to asbestos exposure, they are very tricky to spot. However, knowing about a patient's history of asbestos exposure can assist a healthcare professional in being able to accurately diagnose conditions like mesothelioma. If you lived or worked aboard USS George K. MacKenzie during your career, you should become knowledgeable about the signs of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases and discuss your asbestos exposure history with your physician. 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.

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Destroyers Index