USS Sarsfield (DD-837)

USS Sarsfield (DD-837) was a Gearing-class destroyer built by the Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine. Company workers laid her keel on 15 January 1945, the hull was launched on 27 May 1945 and the completed vessel was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard on 31 July 1945 under the command of Cmdr. Hepburn A. Pierce.

Early Service

Sarsfield sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 24 August, where shakedown trials commenced. She returned to Boston on 30 September, and after post-shakedown maintenance was completed on 25 October she got underway for New York and the Navy Day celebration. Following the festivities, she engaged in training exercises in the Chesapeake Bay-Virginia Capes area until 13 December, when she entered the Brooklyn Navy Yard for the installation of experimental equipment.

On 4 February 1946, Sarsfield reported to her new base of operations at Key West, Florida. Here she would remain with the Operational Development Force for the next several years, participating in the testing and evaluation of new weapons and equipment in addition to periodic training cruises in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1957, Sarsfield underwent an overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard. In early 1958, she returned to the Operational Development Force at Key West. That fall, Sarsfield entered Charleston Naval Shipyard for another overhaul. She sailed out of Charleston on 5 January 1959 for five weeks of refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after which the vessel returned to Key West to continue her experimental work.

The 1960s

In January 1961, Sarsfield was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Within six months, Sarsfield was stationed off the coast of the island of Hispaniola to monitor political unrest in the area.

Sarsfield took up station in the Atlantic as a recovery ship for Project Mercury in September 1961 and again in January 1962.

In August, Sarsfield entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul, which lasted nearly a year. Before leaving Boston in June 1963, she received several new weapons systems as well as long-range, distant air search radar and sonar.

After refresher training and tests out of Guantanamo Bay, Sarsfield headed for the Charleston Navy Yard for another six months of weapons and sonar modifications. At the completion of this work, she patrolled the Caribbean before returning to Key West and her former duties with the Operational Test and Evaluation Detachment. She continued in this capacity until 1966. On 15 July of that year, she underwent yet another overhaul, which included sonar and radar upgrades.

The overhaul was completed on 30 January 1967. By 7 February, she was back in Key West. In July 1968, Sarsfield was deployed to the Middle East. She called at many exotic ports on her voyage along the coasts of Africa and along the Indian Ocean. During this deployment, Sarsfield also had the unique opportunity to participate in a spontaneous exercise with units of the Imperial Ethiopian Navy and the French Air Force.

Sarsfield returned to Mayport, Florida, on 10 January 1969, remaining in the Caribbean and Atlantic through the end of the year.

The 1970s

From January to June 1970, Sarsfield was in the Charleston Navy Yard undergoing maintenance and repairs. Following crew refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay, she returned to local operations out of Mayport for the rest of the year.

In January 1971, Sarsfield was deployed to the Indian Ocean as tensions were rising in the region due to the Bangladesh Liberation War. By 29 June, she was back at Mayport, resuming normal operations through March 1972.

On 13 April 1972, Sarsfield was deployed to Vietnam. Stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin, she remained on duty until 12 September. Sarsfield returned to Mayport on 24 October, resuming local operations until 29 May 1973, when she was ordered to report to the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean.

Sarsfield sailed with the 6th Fleet until 22 September, when she joined NATO units for exercises in the Bay of Biscay and in the North Sea. With the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War on 12 October 1973, Sarsfield returned to the Mediterranean with carrier USS John F. Kennedy in order to monitor the situation.

On 18 November, Sarsfield and Kennedy were ordered back to the States. Sarsfield arrived at Mayport on 1 December and spent the rest of 1973 in a stand-down and leave status. She remained at Mayport until resuming Atlantic seaboard operations the following May.

Fate

After her return from an extended Mediterranean deployment, Sarsfield was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1977 and transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The USS Sarsfield served in the Republic of China Navy as ROCS Te Yang (DDG-925) until 1 April 2005. On 22 January 2009, the ship was towed to the Anping Port in Tainan City, where she is to be maintained as a museum exhibit.

Asbestos Risks

No matter whether acting in times of peace or battle, servicemen and servicewomen have long accepted that working in the armed forces brings with it inherent dangers. What many were not aware of even until near the end of the 1900s, however, was a risk unrelated to mortar fire or attacks by the enemy: the danger of contracting a disease caused by exposure to asbestos.

To protect sailors on a ship, along with the ship itself, from fire and excessive heat, materials with excellent insulating properties are necessary when constructing a ship. As a result, it was normal (and in fact often required by law) for fireproofing materials like the mineral asbestos to be used during the period when ships like USS Sarsfield were constructed. Unfortunately, what wasn't clearly understood or was at times overlooked was that inhalation of asbestos is the primary cause of serious conditions such as asbestosis and pericardial mesothelioma. It is now common knowledge that damage to human health occurs when asbestos is broken up into microscopic fibers that can be inhaled.

The consequences of contact with asbestos weren't likely a high priority to many people while they were busy defending against enemy weapon fire or coping with severe weather. But exposure to asbestos was a significant secondary hazard of many shipboard crises, since extensive damage to a vessel often uncovered asbestos so that particles could be inhaled by those in close proximity. And even during peaceful times, sailors who worked on navy ships like USS Sarsfield still were faced with some level of exposure because practically every compartment of the ship contained parts made with asbestos. In addition, a Navy sailor toiling in poorly ventilated spaces containing asbestos, such as a ship's boilers or engine room, was especially at risk. People who repaired Sarsfield or other destroyers like her when she was in dry dock for upgrades faced the chance of asbestos exposure as well.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are difficult to tell apart from a variety of other illnesses, since they have symptoms in common with those conditions. However, understanding a patient's history of asbestos exposure can assist a healthcare professional in being able to accurately diagnose conditions like mesothelioma. Naval veterans who serviced or had a tour of duty aboard USS Sarsfield, therefore, should discuss their service history with their doctors. 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.

Sources

Destroyers Index