USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850)

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) is a Gearing-class destroyer named for Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. He was a naval aviator, son of the former ambassador to Britain, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and older brother of future President John F. Kennedy. He was killed in action in 1944.

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was built at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. The vessel was launched on 26 July 1945 and commissioned in Boston on 15 December 1945 under the command of Cmdr. H. G. Moore.

Getting Underway

The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. first sailed on 4 February 1946 for shakedown trials in the Caribbean. She returned to her home port of Newport, Rhode Island in April. The next few months were spent in naval reserve training. On 8 October, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. joined the battleship USS Wisconsin for a goodwill tour of South America, returning to port on 14 December 1946.

During the first part of 1947, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. operated on the east coast and in the Caribbean. Later, she joined the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean for peacekeeping operations in the aftermath of the Second World War. Upon her return to Newport on 26 June 1948, the vessel was used primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises.

The first half of 1949 saw her make two training cruises to the Caribbean. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. sailed on 23 August 1949 for a second Mediterranean deployment with the 6th Fleet duty as flagship of Destroyer Squadron 18. She returned to port on 27 January 1950.

Korea

With the outbreak of war in Korea during the summer of 1950, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. carried out reserve training followed by bombardment and convoy exercises in preparation of combat missions. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. sailed for Japan on 3 January 1951, joining Task Force 77 off the Korean coast one month later.

From February to April 1951, she screened the attack carriers as they pounded enemy positions and supply lines. She departed 8 April for the Formosa (Taiwan) Patrol, helping to prevent further hostilities between mainland China and the island. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. then returned to Korea, arriving off Wonsan on 20 May to take up bombardment station in support of the Allied siege and occupation of harbor islands. This duty continued until 13 June.

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. arrived home on 9 August 1951 after completing a circumnavigation of the globe. Until January 1953, she conducted battle practice and served as a training vessel for the Fleet Training School at Newport. On 7 January, she departed for another cruise with the 6th Fleet, returning to Newport on 18 May 1953.

Anti-submarine training exercises and another Mediterranean cruise between January and May 1954 occupied most of the next two years, followed by a tour of northern Europe. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. arrived back in Newport on 5 March 1956.

In June 1956, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. took a group of Naval Academy midshipmen for a practice cruise. Upon returning from northern Europe on 1 August, the ship took part in training operations until 6 May 1957, when she was again deployed to the Mediterranean. After carrier operations and participation in a NATO exercise later that year, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was ordered to the 6th Fleet in 1958, returning in July of that year.

In 1959, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. took part in the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on 26 June of that year, making a tour of the Great Lakes before returning to Newport on 15 October.

Early 1960s

In January 1961, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. arrived in Washington DC for the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, brother of her namesake. During February and April of that year, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. took part in space shots in the Project Mercury series.

On 1 July 1961, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. entered the New York Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul. She was given the latest in anti-submarine gear, a new helicopter flight deck and numerous other modifications designed to increase her useful service life. After emerging from the yard in late May 1962, she underwent exhaustive shakedown trials out of Guantanamo Bay, returning on 26 August 1962.

Sailing on 22 October of that year, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. took an active part in the blockade that forced a resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy remained on patrol in the Caribbean until her return to Newport on 7 December 1962.

During 1963, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. carried out training operations off the Virginia Capes, then departed on 29 April 1964 for another Mediterranean cruise for four months. In October, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. got underway for Operation Steel Pike I, one of the largest amphibious operations since World War II. She returned to Newport on 19 November 1964.

Late 1960s

Late in January 1965, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. put to sea for Port Canaveral, Florida where she helped qualify two newly constructed Polaris submarines for patrol overseas. Following this, she entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for a three-month maintenance period. On November 27 1965, the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. took up station 1,200 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda as part of the recovery team for Gemini 6 and 7 during their 14-day orbital and rendezvous mission in space. Upon successful completion of the mission, Kennedy returned to Newport on 21 December to prepare for another deployment in the Mediterranean.

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. departed Newport on 15 February 1966 for her next Mediterranean deployment, returning to Newport on 8 July. The remainder of the year was spent conducting exercises and carrier screening operations off the eastern seaboard. In mid-November, she participated in recovery operations following the successful four-day flight of Gemini 12. On 1 March 1967, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. again sailed for duty in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet, returning in May via the Red Sea and the Cape of Good Hope.

Today, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. is maintained as a floating museum at Fall River, Massachusetts.

Asbestos Risks

Nearly all compartments of a ship such as the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. 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