USS McCaffery (DD-860)

The USS McCaffery (DD-860) was a product of the Bethlehem Steel Company's Shipbuilding Division in San Pedro, California. A Gearing-class destroyer, her keel was laid down on 10 October 1944. The vessel was launched on 4 April 1945 and commissioned on 26 July under the command of Cmdr. Benjamin B. Cheatham.

Early Career

Once shakedown trials were completed, the McCaffery departed on 8 October 1945 for Hawaii and further crew training. On 24 January 1946, she got underway for post-war occupation and mop-up operations, arriving in China on 9 February. Almost a year later, at the end of January 1947, she headed home, arriving in San Francisco on 20 February.

The McCaffery was again operating off Tsingtao in February 1948. For the next five months, she carried out search and rescue operations in the waters between Okinawa and the Chinese mainland.

On 2 January 1949, McCaffery entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for conversion to escort destroyer. Once those alterations had been completed, she sailed on 25 August for the east coast, reporting to the Atlantic Fleet on 11 September at Newport, Rhode Island. She received a new designation of DDE‑860 on 1 April 1950 while participating in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. In July, she sailed for the Mediterranean. By the time she reached Phaleron Bay, Greece, the Korean War had broken out in earnest and she was ordered to Korea.

The Korean Conflict

The McCaffery reported to naval headquarters on Okinawa on 19 August. From there, she headed for Taiwan, operating as part of the Formosa Strait patrol until the end of October. On 7 November, she rendezvoused with Task Force 77 off the coast of Korea. For the next three months, she guarded the carriers as their planes carried out combat missions.

The Cold War

The McCaffery returned to Newport on 14 March 1951. For the next seven years, she alternated local operations with the 2nd Fleet with deployments to the Mediterranean. Focusing on honing her crew's ASW skills, she completed five cruises to the Mediterranean, one to northern Europe for NATO exercises and one to South America for three months of training with Venezuelan, Brazilian, Uruguayan and Argentine naval units.

In November 1958, McCaffery joined Task Group Bravo, a permanent hunter-killer ASW unit working toward the development of carrier group tactics and equipment. These operations took the vessel from Newfoundland to the Caribbean over the next 30 months. These training missions were interrupted by two midshipman summer cruises in 1959 and the summer of 1960, and a brief tour as an engineering school ship during the fall of 1960.

In 1961, the McCaffery entered the New York Naval Shipyard for a seven-month FRAM ("Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization") overhaul. Most of the work performed consisted of upgrades and installations to enhance her ASW capabilities. Following the overhaul, the McCaffery was transferred to a new home port of Mayport, Florida.

On 30 June 1962, McCaffery reverted to destroyer status and her former "DD" classification. After a six-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean between April and October, she found herself being deployed to Cuba in order to maintain the quarantine during the missile crisis.

Space Program

In May 1963, McCaffery served as communications relay ship for the Mercury space shot. After two years of overseas deployments for joint exercises with the naval forces of other NATO allies, McCaffery spent 1966 in the western Atlantic, participating in two space project recovery missions for Gemini IX and XII.

Vietnam

On 7 February 1967, McCaffery was ordered to the coast of Vietnam, remaining there from 24 March until 1 August. Her missions included naval gunfire support, carrier screening and participation in Operation Sea Dragon as well as anti-submarine patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin. After returning to Mayport on 11 September, McCaffery resumed her normal operations with the 2nd Fleet. The USS McCaffery was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 September 1973 and sold for scrap the following summer.

Asbestos Risks

The use of asbestos was common on nearly every Navy ship constructed around World War II. Unfortunately, exposure to this toxic substance has been known to result in the development of several asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to asbestos on Navy vessels often occurred during repairs when asbestos-containing materials were being removed, causing the fibers of asbestos to become airborne.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving or working on a Navy vessel, you may be at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. If you have already been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos, you may have legal options for compensation. For more information about this, treatment options and asbestos exposure, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a complimentary packet.

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Destroyers Index