USS Howorth DD-592

USS Howorth (DD-592) was a Fletcher-class, launched on 10 January 1943 and commissioned on 3 April 1944 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.

First Assignment

After her initial shakedown cruise, Howorth set sail on 22 July 1944 as part of the escort for a troop convoy bound for Pearl Harbor. Howorth remained in port there until 25 August, at which point she sailed for Hollandia, Papua (present-day Jayapura). Howorth was then transferred to Destroyer Division 4, her first combat experience during antisubmarine and escort duty in the Solomon Islands.

The Philippines

Howorth arrived off Leyte on 22 October, three days after the initial troop landings. She guarded the transport anchorages during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but did not see direct action until the Battle of Mindoro, during which she was attacked by several kamikaze suicide pilots; during the attacks Howorth suffered a damaged mast.

The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf began in January 1945, and Howorth arrived with the first reinforcements on 13 January. Howorth provided fire support to the invasion forces as well as antiaircraft support for the invasion fleet.

End Game

Howorth arrived off Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, again furnishing fire support and antiaircraft protection during the invasion. After a short break at Ulithi Atoll during the last two weeks of March, Howorth was assigned to screen a convoy bound for Okinawa. On her first day, Howorth was attacked by eight kamikazes, one of which penetrated her antiaircraft fire and struck her superstructure. Nine crewmen died in that attack.

After this battle, Howorth returned to Mare Island Naval Shipyard near San Francisco for repairs, arriving in early 2 May 1945. Repairs took two months. After reporting to Pearl Harbor on 15 July, she was ordered to Alaska for the staging of a possible invasion of Japan from the north. She was en route when the news of the Japanese surrender reached the ship.

Fate

Howorth arrived in Yokohama, Japan, on 17 September for seven weeks of convoy duty. She sailed for home on 11 November.

The ship was decommissioned in April 1946. She remained in reserve until 1962, when she was sunk off the coast of southern California as a torpedo target.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was routinely utilized for insulating compartments and as fireproofing aboard every American naval craft during the first two-thirds of the 20th century. While practically all areas of a ship like the USS Howorth posed a significant level of asbestos contamination, a ship's engines and mechanical spaces generally were where seamen or maintenance workers were prone to be exposed to airborne asbestos. Even greater risk of having major asbestos inhalation occurred if a ship was damaged, in combat or through misfortune, since such events frequently uncovered asbestos-containing compartments to the air or subjected them to flames or water.

The greatest danger of exposure with asbestos is experienced in situations where items containing the mineral become damaged and exposed, since if tiny asbestos microfibers can enter the air, the material may then be breathed in by workers in the area. A high level of asbestos risk is known to be strongly linked with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, cancer of the lungs and other serious health disorders.

Seamen who worked around this substance should promptly notify their physicians, since most asbestos-induced disorders are difficult to diagnose because 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.

It is a regrettable fact that along with the expected hazards of combat, sailors who lived and worked on board the Howorth were, like servicemen on other destroyers of the same type, frequently at risk for asbestos inhalation, especially because the vessel suffered heavy combat damage and underwent serious reworkings and repairs. Besides the important combat damage and refit activity, the men who lived and worked on the Howorth were often endangered by asbestos in the normal course of their service.

In addition, asbestos exposure was regularly experienced by port-based workers such as welders and electricians who maintained the vessel when she was dry-docked. Based on what we now know about the outcome of asbestos exposure, servicemen who sailed and worked aboard this destroyer at any time in their career, and those assigned to other naval vessels, should become fully aware of the hazards raised by their past exposure to this deadly fiber, particularly in light of Howorth's record.

Sources:

Destroyers Index