USS John Young (DD-973)

The USS John Young (DD-973) was one of 30 Spruance-class vessels built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her keel was laid on 17 February 197 and she was launched just under a year later and commissioned on 20 May 1978.

Early Service Record

John Young first reported for duty at San Diego on 3 June 1978. After undergoing shakedown trials, she spent the winter of 1978-79 testing weapon and propulsion systems. After participation in Fleet Exercise RIMPAC in March 1980, John Young got underway for her first Far East deployment. Leaving San Diego in October, she proceeded to Subic Bay, participating in numerous weapons tests and battle readiness exercises over the next several months. She returned to port in May 1981 and spent the next 12 months preparing for her next Far East deployment.

Her second tour of duty from May to the end of November 1982 included surveillance operations off the Soviet port of Petropavlovsk in June and six weeks of work in the Arabian Gulf in September and October. Upon her return, she received repairs and maintenance work. Subsequent deployments took John Young into the Sea of Okhotsk in November and December 1984. A visit to Australian waters the following spring and a tour of duty in the Persian Gulf protecting important oil supplies as the war between Iran and Iraq escalated. During her time in the Persian Gulf during 1987, John Young was one of three destroyers to attack Iranian oil platforms in the Rostam field in retaliation for an attack on the USS Stark - an attack that had actually been from Iraqi missiles.

When John Young returned to the Persian Gulf in December 1988, tensions had eased and she provided protective escort for oil tankers over the first three months of 1989. On the way home through the South China Sea, her crew rescued 46 Vietnamese refugees.

The 1990s

John Young underwent a major overhaul in 1990 that included significant upgrades to her weapon systems. Testing of these new systems continued until January 1992, when she was again deployed to the Persian Gulf to assist in enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq. She returned to San Diego on 21 July. John Young returned to the Persian Gulf in late November 1993. In January 1994, she engaged in a "passing exercise" with the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov. After visits to Sydney, Australia and the island of Fiji, John Young returned to port in April. She entered the Southwest Marine Shipyard for a major overhaul for most of the remainder of that year. She also became one of eight combat ships that began receiving women as crew members in 1994.

John Young made deployments to the Persian Gulf in February 1996 and again in November 1997. She returned to port from that second deployment in May 1998 and spent the rest of that year as well as most of 1999 in the yard undergoing repairs and maintenance. John Young spent the winter of 1999-2000 in the Persian Gulf. From January to March 2001, she was assigned to anti-drug smuggling off the coast of Mexico, during which her crew was involved in the second largest drug interdiction in history when they seized eight tons of cocaine from Forever My Friend.

The USS John Young undertook her last overseas deployment on 18 October 2001; the assignment took her to the Persian Gulf by way of the South Pacific. After six months of interdiction operations, she returned to port on 18 April 2002. John Young was decommissioned 30 September 2002 and stricken 6 November 2002. She was laid up at Bremerton, Washington until her hulk was towed out to sea. On 13 April 2004, John Young was sunk by an Mk 48 torpedo fired by the USS Pasadena during exercise RIMPAC 2004.

Asbestos Risks

While nearly every part of a ship like the USS John Young offered at least some asbestos exposure, the vessel's boilers and engineering compartments were the workspaces where sailors and shipyard workers were apt to be in danger of inhaling asbestos fibers.

When dealing with asbestos, the highest level of danger to human health happens in situations where items containing the mineral become damaged and breakable, because if the asbestos filaments escape into the air, the particles can be inhaled by those near the hazard. Numerous studies have shown that dangerous medical conditions such as mesothelioma are caused by even modest levels of asbestos exposure. Naval veterans with a history of exposure to this mineral should immediately tell their primary physician as related conditions can often be misdiagnosed.

If you have already been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos exposure, you may have legal options for compensation. Many have received financial assistance to help pay for medical expenses and lost income. If you would like to learn more about this and treatment options, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a complimentary packet.

Sources

Destroyers Index