USS Hopewell DD-681

USS Hopewell (DD-681) was a Fletcher-class destroyer launched by Bethlehem Steel Company at San Pedro, California, on 2 May 1943. She was commissioned at Terminal Island 30 September, Commander Corbin. C. Shute in command.

World War II

Hopewell left on 23 January for the invasion of the Marshalls. She arrived 31 January and delivered gunfire support during the initial assault. Once the islands were secured, Hopewell returned to Pearl Harbor, arriving 24 February.

Next came the invasion of New Guinea. She carried out screening and patrol assignments, and contributed shore bombardment during the initial landings, and she remained with 7th Fleet carrying out bombardment of Japanese positions until June.

Hopewell's next assignment was the invasion of Morotai. She arrived on 16 September supporting an auxiliary landing, then sailed on 25 September with a convoy for Humboldt Bay.

The Philippines Campaign

A damaged propeller kept Hopewell from taking part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in late October 1944. She returned to the action on 8 November, joining the Mindoro invasion forces. After fighting off heavy air attacks en route, Hopewell arrived off the assault area on 15 December and provided fire support as troops moved ashore.

With Mindoro secured, Hopewell joined in the assault on Corregidor on 14 February 1945, clearing obstructions from Mariveles Harbor with a barrage of gunfire. While attempting to render assistance to a damaged vessel, Hopewell received four hits, putting her battery control station out of commission and injuring 17 crewmen. Hopewell remained in Manila Bay until 18 February, however, then sailed to Manus for temporary repairs.

Hopewell returned to San Francisco on 17 March for permanent repairs then reported back to Pearl Harbor on 28 May 1945. Following the Japanese surrender, Hopewell operated in Japanese waters in support of the occupation until 21 October 1945, when she sailed for home. Arriving at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton on 8 November, she later moved to San Diego, where she was decommissioned 15 January 1947.

Korean War

Hopewell was recommissioned on 28 March 1951. She steamed westward to Korea on 18 June, taking up screening duties with the carriers of Task Force 77. The destroyer also bombarded Wonsan and served on the Formosa Patrol during August and September. She returned to the Mare Island Yard in Vallejo, California, on 5 February 1952.

Hopewell sailed for her second tour in Korea on 11 August 1952 She screened the carriers and heavy ships of Task Force 77 as she had before. Another bombardment of Wonsan followed. In December, she sailed to Formosa (Taiwan) in order to help train Nationalist Chinese sailors. She returned briefly to Korea to screen the battleship Missouri during bombardment operations late in January 1953, then returned home on 3 March 1953.

Cold War

After operating off the California coast for several months, Hopewell sailed again for the Far East on 27 October 1953. During her fourth cruise, a crisis between China and Formosa developed, and in February Hopewell assisted in the evacuation of the Tachen Islands. After this operation, Hopewell participated in fleet exercises in the western Pacific before returning to San Diego on 22 May 1955.

On 11 November 1955, a single-engine attack bomber crashed into Hopewell during an amphibious training operation, killing five crewmen and setting the vessel on fire. Repairs took nearly five months.

Returning to active operations again on 24 March 1956, Hopewell resumed her schedule of cruises to Japan, Formosa, and Okinawa, interspersed with crew training and battle exercises off the California coast. On 12 November 1959, Hopewell returned to San Diego for an extensive refit.

Vietnam

Hopewell was deployed to Vietnam from 1960 into 1967 on numerous occasions. In February 1963 she rescued a crewman from a downed A-3B from the carrier USS Ticonderoga in the South China Sea. During a three-month tour in 1966, Hopewell fired more than 2,200 rounds, destroyed 112 structures, and stopped a Viet Cong mortar attack on U.S. ground forces.

Fate

The USS Hopewell was decommissioned on 2 January 1970 and sunk for target practice in February 1972.

Asbestos Risks

The substance known as asbestos was widely utilized for insulation and for fire control on every American naval ship through both world wars. Workspaces where seamen or repair personnel were apt to be exposed to fibers of asbestos were generally a vessel's engines and mechanical sections; nevertheless, nearly all compartments of a ship such as the USS Hopewell offered a significant level of asbestos contamination. When a warship was damaged, whether due to enemy fire, by Mother Nature, or by accident, it often uncovered asbestos-laden fixtures to the open air or subjected them to fire or flooding, which meant increased risk of extensive asbestos exposure.

The worst danger of exposure with asbestos occurs when fibers are easily broken, because when minute asbestos fibers can enter the air, the material may then be inhaled by people nearby. Extensive research has shown that dangerous medical issues such as asbestosis, lung cancer and multiple forms of mesothelioma are the result of repeated asbestos exposure. As most asbestos-related disorders are hard to accurately diagnose, seamen with a history of exposure to asbestos fibers should promptly notify their family doctors of the details about 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 is the case with sailors on other vessels of her class, the men who lived and worked aboard the Hopewell were all too often in danger of asbestos fiber inhalation, especially because the ship suffered heavy damage in combat and had major reworkings and patch jobs. In addition to this significant combat damage and repair work, the troops who worked on board the ship were also subject to inhalation of asbestos in the conduct of their loyal service. This risk of asbestos contact also existed for repair personnel such as machinists and electricians who maintained the Hopewell when the ship was in port.

In light of what we now know about the outcome of prolonged contact with asbestos, the men who sailed or worked on board this destroyer at any time in their career, as well as those who served on other Navy ships, must learn more about the dangers posed by past exposure to asbestos fibers, particularly considering the Hopewell's service record.

Sources:

Destroyers Index