USS Osmond Ingram DD-255

The USS Osmond Ingram (DD-255) was a Clemson-class destroyer laid down on 15 October 1918 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at Quincy, Massachusetts and launched on 23 February 1919.

Service Before and During World War II

The Osmond Ingram served in the Atlantic after shakedown and training, and like so many ships of the post-World War I era, was decommissioned after only a few years. On 24 June 1922, the Osmond Ingram was decommissioned in Philadelphia and later went into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was converted to a seaplane tender during her inactive time and was recommissioned on 22 November 1940. She sailed for Puerto Rico and operated there through June 1942.

The Osmond Ingram later returned to duty as a destroyer and undertook escort duty between Trinidad, Recife and Belem. The Osmond Ingram sank her first submarine with gunfire on 13 December 1943 after the U-172 was forced to surface because of depth charges.

After a convoy to Gibraltar early in 1944, the Osmond Ingram began escort duty between New York and Trinidad until June, when she entered the Charleston Navy Yard for conversion to a high-speed transport. The Osmond Ingram joined forces in the Mediterranean for assaults on islands off the French coast in an effort to soften German defenses prior to invasion. These actions took place on 14 August 1944, prior to the Osmond Ingram returning to escort duties along the French and Italian coasts. She returned to Norfolk in December of that year.

After her time in Norfolk, the Osmond Ingram was reassigned to the Pacific and sailed through Panama, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok and Ulithi. After reaching the western Pacific, the destroyer left Ulithi with an assault force bound for Okinawa and the fighting there. In July 1945, the Osmond Ingram escorted ships between Leyte and Hollandia, and in August she began patrols through the Philippines and to Borneo. With the end of the war in August, the Osmond Ingram began occupation duties and operated at Wakayama, Kure and Nagoya before sailing for the United States.

The Osmond Ingram was decommissioned at Philadelphia on 8 January 1946. She was struck from the naval register on 21 January of the same year and sold for scrapping to Hugo Neu on 17 June 1946.

Asbestos Risks

Throughout World War II, each American navy destroyer widely utilized the mineral asbestos for insulation and fireproofing techniques. Although nearly every part of a ship posed a real danger of asbestos exposure, workers were most prone to inhale asbestos fibers when working near the ship's engines and mechanical sections.

Inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to the development of asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Those who believe they have experienced asbestos exposure should seek routine medical checkups for asbestos complications because these illnesses can take anywhere between 10 and 50 years to develop.

If you have been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos, you may have legal options for compensation. Treatment options can be very expensive and many have received financial assistance to help cover the costs. For more information, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a complimentary packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index