USS John Hancock (DD-981)

The USS John Hancock was the 19th of 31 Spruance-class destroyers built at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company yards in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her keel was laid down on 16 January 1976 and her hull was launched on 29 October 1977. The Hancock was commissioned on 10 March 1979.

1980s

Hancock's first years in the water were spent in the Atlantic as well as a deployment to the Mediterranean in 1981. In 1983, the Hancock returned to the Ingalls shipyard for a major overhaul and conversion, followed by shakedown trials out of Guantanamo Bay.

In November 1984, John Hancock was deployed to the Persian Gulf for a nine-month tour of duty. During that tour, she nearly fell victim to an Exocet missile fired from an Iraqi plane (the missile missed its target and destroyed a tugboat a few hundred yards away). She returned to her home port of Charleston, South Carolina in May 1985. The following year, Hancock underwent firing qualifications in the Caribbean. In 1989, she once again returned to Ingalls for maintenance work.

1990s

In 1991, John Hancock was deployed to the North Atlantic for two months with the USS America carrier group in support of Operation North Star '91. In 1994,the Hancock was in the Red Sea enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq. During this time, her destroyer squadron intercepted the 20,000th ship in the four years since the sanctions were put in place.

In September 1996, the Hancock was ordered to sea to ride out Hurricane Fran. That year, she was also among several vessels selected to serve as test platforms for the "P2 Afloat" program, which was intended to reduce costs and improve conditions aboard by addressing the problem of toxic materials accumulated during deployments.

The following year, the Hancock joined the USS John F. Kennedy carrier group for a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean. During this tour of duty, Hancock and her crew took part in a variety of missions that included surveillance, rescue, humanitarian assistance, maritime interdiction, embassy support and non-combatant evacuation operations. This deployment also included participation in Exercise NADOR 97-3, a joint operation with vessels of the Tunisian Navy, and Operation INVITEX, a NATO exercise involving naval units from 12 nations. The Hancock returned to port on 28 October of 1997.

After participating in the sixth International Naval Review in New York City in July 2000, the USS John Hancock returned to port where she was decommissioned in October of that year. She was berthed at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia Pennsylvania for the next seven years and eventually sold to International Shipbreaking Ltd. of Brownsville, Texas in 2007.

Asbestos Risks

Although the USS John Hancock was built during a time when the use of asbestos was beginning to decline, there remains the potential for asbestos exposure as parts used on ships still contained asbestos to some degree. Evidence has shown that even low levels of asbestos exposure can lead to the development of an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma later in life.

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