USS Laub DD-613

The USS Laub (DD-613) was built by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in San Pedro, California, between 1 May 1941 and 28 April 1942. She was a destroyer in the Benson class and was named for Henry Laub, a sailor killed in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.

World War II Service

The Laub spent the Second World War in the Atlantic, providing support for a variety of European campaigns.

After her shakedown cruise on the west coast, she sailed through the Panama Canal to Norfolk on 1 February 1943. Her first duty was a convoy escort to North Africa departing 5 February. She arrived in Casablanca and patrolled the North African coast until March, when she returned with a convoy to the United States.

In the months that followed, the Laub would participate in several trans-Atlantic convoy escorts, at one point even chasing off a German U-boat that was tasked with attacking the supply ships in the convoy.

On 11 June, the Laub departed New York for action in the Mediterranean and the invasion of Sicily. On 5 July, she undertook screening duties out of Oran, providing defense for troop transports as they approached the Sicilian beaches. During the beach landing, the Laub fired on defending German aircraft, and on the 11th, while undertaking shore bombardment, she assisted in downing one aircraft. The Laub is credited for destroying four tanks and damaging strategic bridges during the invasion.

The ship continued Mediterranean operations and then joined a convoy for return to the United States on July 28.

Returning to the Mediterranean on 6 November, the Laub's convoy was attacked by torpedoes, damaging the Beatty, Maraix and Ruys. The destroyer rescued 341 survivors in this action and then continued to run escort operations for another several months.

On 23 May 1944, the Laub was engaged in providing fire support off the Anzio beachhead when she collided with the USS Philadelphia. The Laub made temporary repairs and returned to Boston for more permanent fixes to the damage.

For the remainder of the campaign in Europe, the Laub escorted ships and provided fire support off the French coast.

On 23 May 1945, the Laub arrived in Boston for training and redeployment to the Pacific Theater. The Japanese surrender was announced before she was deployed, however.

Retirement and Scrapping

On 2 November 1945, the Laub arrived in Charleston; she was decommissioned on February 2 of the following year. She entered the Reserve Fleet and operated in that capacity until 1 July 1971, when she was stricken from the Naval Register.

She was sold for scrap on 14 January 1975.

Asbestos Risks

On each American navy destroyer through both world wars, asbestos, a mineral, was routinely utilized as insulation and as fireproofing. While the engine room and engineering sections were the most common sections in which a seaman or a civilian worker could inhale asbestos particles, essentially all of a ship like the USS Laub posed a real danger of asbestos exposure. Further danger of having major asbestos inhalation occurred whenever a ship took damage, whether in combat or accidentally, opening asbestos-contaminated fixtures to air, water, or damage from fire.

The greatest hazard from asbestos comes from bits of asbestos that become damaged and easily broken; very small microfibers escape into surrounding air, where the particles are inhaled by those on the ship. A history of asbestos intake has been strongly associated with pleural mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and many other serious medical issues.

Seamen at risk from asbestos fibers should inform their medical professionals, because most asbestos-caused problems are tricky to diagnose. 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.

As is the case with servicemen on the other ships of the same class, the crewmen who fought on board the USS Laub were in danger of asbestos intake. The USS Laub endured moderate damage in battle but still went through a number of redesigns and repair jobs. Despite the lack of serious damage and redesign, those who served on board the USS Laub were still endangered by asbestos fibers in the daily execution of their service. The sailors who sailed or labored on board this ship, and other Navy ships, must be made aware of the risks posed by service-related exposure to this deadly mineral.

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