USS McDermut DD-677

The USS McDermut (DD-677) was a destroyer of the Fletcher-class named for Lieutenant Commander David A. McDermut, who served during the U.S. Civil War. She was laid down on 14 June 1943 by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Kearny, New Jersey and launched on 17 October 1943. She was first captained by Commander P. L. Wirtz.

History of Service

The McDermut was commissioned on 19 November 1943 and was promptly assigned to duty in the Pacific Theater. She left New York on 25 January 1944 and arrived at Kwajalein on 4 March. She remained at Kwajalein until 20 March, when she joined the Fast Carrier Task Force and participated in strikes on Palaus, Yap, Ulithi and Woleai. She returned to Pearl Harbor to escort cargo transports and returned to Kwajalein on 31 May.

On 10 June, the McDermut joined TG 52.17 and began pre-invasion bombardment of Saipan. During the actual invasion of that island, the McDermut provided fire support and defended against Japanese "demolition craft," which were small boats designed to detonate and set fire to shipping in the area. She continued this duty until 24 June and then left for Eniwetok, joined Task Force 53, and began pre-invasion bombardment of Guam.

On 1 October, the McDermut was assigned to the 7th Fleet and joined the forces assembling at Manus Island for the Leyte invasion. During the invasion, the McDermut joined an anti-torpedo-boat screen in the Surigao Strait. On the night of 25 October, after heavy fighting by surface ships and intense torpedo activity, the McDermut left the area for Hollandia. She arrived there on 30 October.

In November, the destroyer screened convoys en route to Leyte and in December she headed for the Sulu Sea to support the assault on Midoro. She also participated in the operations at Luzon. On 15 January 1945, she left the Lingayen Gulf and arrived eight days later in Ulithi.

On 7 July, the McDermut was dispatched to intercept a Japanese hospital ship named Takasago Maru and divert her from her course. The Japanese vessel was located the next day and a boarding party from the McDermut carried a message guaranteeing safe passage if the hospital ship complied with the McDermut's instructions. The McDermut monitored the ship for two days and on 10 July released the vessel and rejoined the American force.

On 12 August, the McDermut was given orders to proceed to the U.S. west coast for overhaul. En route, she received word of the Japanese surrender and was ordered back to Japan for occupation duty. She remained in Japan for two months before finally returning to San Francisco. She was decommissioned on 15 January 1947 and went into the Pacific Reserve Fleet.

The Korean War

When military confrontation in the Far East flared up again, the McDermut was recommissioned and put back into service. She returned to Japan on 6 June 1951 and on 13 June joined Task Force 77 for duty off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. She participated in combat duties until leaving the region for the U.S. on 7 December.

On 12 August 1952, the McDermut returned to Korea and began bombardment of shore positions. She conducted training exercises in that year and took up duty with the Taiwan Patrol. On 29 January 1953, the McDermut left for San Diego and arrived on 16 February.

The End of Service and Scrapping

For 10 years after her return from Korea, the McDermut maintained a schedule of alternating six months of west coast operations and six months in the western Pacific. During 1963, the McDermut remained on the west coast of the United States to conduct local operations until she was decommissioned on 16 December in San Diego. She remained in San Diego as part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet and was finally struck from the naval register on 1 April 1965. The destroyer was sold to the National Metal and Steel Corporation on 4 January 1966 and was towed away for scrap in February.

Asbestos Risks

The fibrous mineral asbestos was routinely employed for compartment insulation and as fire control in every U.S. Navy ship through the 1960s. Each ship's engines and mechanical sections usually were the workspaces where seamen or a shipyard workers were prone to be in danger of inhaling airborne asbestos fibers, but essentially all compartments of the Massey posed a measurable level of asbestos exposure.

When the warship took damage, whether in battle, by catastrophic storms, or through misfortune, it usually uncovered asbestos-contaminated components to the air, allowing them to become airborne. If these microscopic fibers were inhaled, the risk of contracting an asbestos-related disease became a concern. However, most sailors and shipyard workers were unaware they were inhaling asbestos fibers.

If you have contracted an asbestos-related condition such as mesothelioma as a result of being exposed to asbestos, you may be entitled to compensation to help pay for treatment options and cover lost income. For more information about this and asbestos exposure, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a complimentary packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index