USS Isherwood DD-520

The USS Isherwood (DD-520), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was built in Staten Island, New York by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company and launched on 24 November 1942. She was commissioned on 12 April 1943 at the New York Navy Yard with Cmdr. R. E. Gadrow in command.

Atlantic

During the summer of 1943, Isherwood operated with a patrol and escort group out of NS Argentia off Newfoundland. Her missions included escorting the troop ship RMS Queen Mary, combined operations with the British Home Fleet, and a raid on German-occupied Norway in search of the kriegschiff Tirpitz. She returned to Boston with a convoy on 29 September 1943.

North Pacific

The Isherwood was then ordered to the Pacific, reporting to Pearl Harbor before sailing for Alaska on 11 December. For the next eight months, the Isherwood carried out anti-submarine sweeps of Aleutian Island chain and took part in bombardments of the Kuril Islands. She returned to San Francisco for repairs on 15 August 1944.

South Pacific

Isherwood sailed for Pearl Harbor on 26 August 1944 to take part in the invasion of the Philippines, scheduled for October. She arrived at Manus Naval base on 4 October and steamed into Leyte Gulf with the assault force two weeks later, carrying out escort and patrol duties during the first days of the operation. She also provided gunfire support and night illumination fire. The Isherwood remained in the assault area during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During November the ship escorted convoys from advance bases to the Philippines in support of the troop buildup in the region subsequent to the Allied occupation over the next few months.

Okinawa

Isherwood sailed for Okinawa in March 1945 and took part in the landings at the IJN base on Kerama Retto, a necessary preliminary step to the main assault on Okinawa. Troops from the main task force landed on 1 April and two days later the Isherwood moved to a position off the beaches for fire support missions. This continued for the next fortnight, when the ship was sent to aid stricken destroyers Pringle and Laffey off the island of Iye Shima. That afternoon she took over Laffey's duties as fighter director ship on picket station.

As a radar picket, the Isherwood was a priority target for kamikaze suicide planes and she was hit on the evening of 22 April. Damaged by fire and explosions, the Isherwood limped back to the US-occupied Kerama Retto base with over 80 casualties. The Isherwood returned to San Francisco Bay on 3 June. She finished her repairs just as the Pacific war ended and sailed for New York on 3 October. She was decommissioned in February 1946.

The Cold War

The Isherwood was recommissioned at Charleston, South Carolina on April 1951 and stationed out of Newport, Rhode Island. Between April and October 1952 and during the same period in 1953, she performed two six-month tours of duty in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet. In June 1954, her crew underwent refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Isherwood then sailed from Newport on 30 November 1954 to join the Pacific Fleet.

Over the next five years, the Isherwood did several tours of the Far East. In 1960, she took part in training operations until sailing for her last Far East tour in October. Upon her return to California, Isherwood engaged in training off the Pacific Coast until being decommissioned on 11 September 1961. A month later, Isherwood was transferred to the Peruvian Navy and renamed BAP Almirante Guise (DD-72). The ship was finally stricken and scrapped in 1981.

Asbestos Risks

Nearly all compartments of a ship such as the USS Isherwood posed a significant level of asbestos exposure, but a vessel's engine room and engineering compartments were usually the sections where a crewman or maintenance worker was likely to be in danger of inhaling airborne asbestos. Increased risk of undergoing harmful levels of asbestos exposure occurred whenever a craft was in conflict.

Inhaling airborne asbestos fibers has been known to cause the development of several asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Those who have been diagnosed with one of these conditions may have options for compensation as many have received financial assistance to help pay for medical expenses. For more information about compensation, asbestos exposure and treatment options, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a complimentary packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index