USS Spence DD-512

The USS Spence (DD-512) was a Fletcher-class destroyer laid down by the Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, on 18 May 1942 and launched on 27 October of that year. She was named for Robert T. Spence, the superintendent of the construction of the USS Ontario and the captain of the USS Cyane.

History of Service

The Spence was commissioned on 8 January 1943 and took her shakedown and training cruise off the coast of Cuba from 8 February to 28 February. She began active duty as an escort for convoys in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In April she sailed with a convoy to Casablanca and was then redeployed to the west coast. On 25 July she got underway for San Francisco and then Pearl Harbor.

The Spence supported the troops who took over Baker Island on 1 September, and on 13 September she proceeded to Efate. On 22 September, as part of Destroyer Division 46, the Spence sailed for Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. She engaged Japanese vessels on 28 September and then began patrols between Kolombangara and Vella Lavella.

The Spence made escort runs from Tulagi to Purvis Bay during the first part of October and supported the landings on the Treasury Islands. On 1 November, the Spence participated in the bombardment of Buka and Bonis airfields and also supported the Cape Torokina invasion.

The next day, the Spence, along with Task Force 39, came across the enemy, and as she approached, was hit below the waterline. Repairs were made by her crew, and two days later the Spence sailed to Purvis Bay. She then traveled to Tulagi, and on the 5th was attacked unsuccessfully by Japanese planes. She then acted as escort and patrol near Port Purvis-Kula.

On 25 November, the Spence made radar contact with the enemy near Buka Island. She was involved in DesDiv 45's attack on enemy vessels, which resulted in the sinking of numerous Japanese ships.

The Spence served on patrol until 5 February 1944, when she bombarded Buka Island. On the 6th, she sank a Japanese barge, and for the remainder of February, she shelled areas near Tiaraka, Teopasino, Bougainville, Kavieng, Cape St. George, New Ireland, Kavieng and Truk. She sank an enemy merchantman on 22 February.

The Spence supported Allied landings on Emirau Island in March, struck against Yap, Ulithi, Woleai and Palau on 27 March, and then served as a screener for carriers near New Guinea in April.

After a period of much-needed upkeep at Majuro from 4 May to 5 June, she helped to bombard Japanese positions on the Guam and Saipan along with Task Group 58.4. She was part of the 19 and 20 June Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the 23 and 24 June bombing of Tinian, Saipan and Guam. She then participated in bombarding enemy positions nearby from 26 June until the end of the month.

On 4 August, the Spence returned to the United States, arriving at California on 18 August. After September dry dock, she arrived at Eniwetok on 31 October. She then sailed to Ulithi and joined Task Group 38.1, screening for carriers in the Philippines during November and December attacks against Luzon.

The Sinking of the Spence

On 17 December, the Spence undertook preparations for refueling. As part of this, all of the ballast was pumped out of her tanks. At the same time, the seas in the region were becoming rough due to a typhoon, and so the refueling operation was cancelled. The weather continued to worsen as the typhoon blew in, and the Spence was caught in its midst. Water caused malfunctioning of the electrical equipment, and after a 72-degree roll, the lights and pumps ceased to work and the steering jammed. The ship capsized after another roll to port and sank immediately.

Only 24 sailors survived, one of whom was forced to float at sea for two days. The USS Hull and the USS Monaghan were also lost in the typhoon. The Spence was struck from the naval register on 19 January 1945.

Asbestos Risks

Through WWII, every U.S. Navy craft commonly employed the mineral asbestos for insulating pipes and for fireproofing. Though practically all compartments of the Spence offered a real danger of asbestos contamination, a ship's boiler room and mechanical compartments were usually the workspaces where a crewman or a shipyard worker was prone to be at risk of exposure to strands of asbestos. If the craft was hit in combat, damaged by Mother Nature, or involved in an accident, it usually uncovered asbestos-containing materials to the open air or subjected them to fire or water; this brought about additional danger of major asbestos inhalation.

The greatest risk of harmful exposure with asbestos happens where strands become fragile, because if minute asbestos strands go into the air, the material may then be inhaled by workers close to the asbestos. Studies have shown that major ailments such as asbestosis, cancer, and peritoneal mesothelioma are associated with even modest levels of asbestos exposure.

Workers exposed to this substance should therefore promptly notify their primary physicians, as most asbestos-caused problems are difficult to accurately diagnose. To learn more about the diagnostic process, available treatment options and financial assistance to help pay for medical costs, please fill in the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

Like servicemen on other craft of this class, the crewmen who lived and worked aboard the Spence were in danger of asbestos fiber exposure, particularly because the ship suffered heavy damage in combat and due to weather and required numerous refits and repairs. Besides this significant damage and redesign activity, troops who served on board the Spence were often in contact with asbestos fibers in the normal course of their loyal service. The chance of encountering asbestos was also high for maintenance workers such as welders and carpenters who serviced the vessel whenever she spent time in port.

Considering the Spence's service record, and given our increased understanding of the result of asbestos inhalation, it is imperative that those who at any point in their career sailed and toiled on board this destroyer, as well as those who served on other naval vessels, understand the health dangers posed by former exposure to asbestos fibers.

Sources:

Destroyers Index