USS Stevens DD-479

USS Stevens (DD-479) was named for Rear Admiral Thomas H. Stevens, Jr. and Captain Thomas Holdup Stevens. The second ship that carried this name, DD-479 was of the Fletcher class. After being laid down in Charleston, SC on 30 December 1941, she was launched on 24 June 1942 and commissioned on 1 February 1943. Cmdr. Frank H. Ball was in command.

Stevens' Beginnings in 1943

Stevens was originally equipped with a catapult and crane for a floatplane. She was one of only three Fletcher-class destroyers that had this feature, which was set in the place of another torpedo tube mount, the second deck of the after deck house, and a five-inch mount. The idea was that the floatplane could be launched by catapult, land in the water to scout for flotilla, and then be picked up by the aircraft crane. Disappointingly, the whole idea didn't pan out too well, and she was eventually reverted to a standard Fletcher-class configuration. Following shakedown in the Atlantic, Stevens worked as an escort and was then added to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. She worked with Task Force 15 in August for warm-up raids in the Gilbert Islands and at the end of the month, went to Marcus Island. After this, Stevens left them to go to the west coast.

1944

Stevens joined up with the 5th fleet to go to the Central Pacific. As a part of Task Group 52.8, she had a role in Operation Flintlock as a part of the fire support group in order to conquer the Marshall Islands. Prior to landings, she hit the islands and offered supporting gunfire for the Marines. On 4 February 1944, she left the area for the South Pacific and made several stops before acting as a screen for Transport Divisions 24 and 26. On the 15th, she left for Guadalcanal, and four days later she left again for New Caledonia. By 4 March she was screening merchantmen to Tulagi and then set off for Efate.

Stevens then teamed up with Task Force 37 to bombard Kavieng, but that mission was soon determined to be unnecessary. Rather than completing the entire bombardment, she only focused on Nusa and Nusalik. However, these two components worked very well. Later, she moved on with DesRon 25 to go to New Guinea for an invasion at Hollandia. Then, she screened the reinforcements and arrived on 10 May at Purvis Bay. Stevens escorted convoys and rested at port in the Solomons. From there she went to the Marshall Islands, then Eniwetok until 17 July. Then she transported troops for the Guam assault, arriving on 21 July and fired on enemies while troops landed.

After several stops in Guadalcanal, Espiritu Santo, Purvis Bay, Humboldt Bay, Maffin Bay, and Aitape, she joined up with Task Force 77 and headed for the East Indies. Stevens then patrolled while transports unloaded men during the assault on Morotai. For the rest of the year, she patrolled and acted as escort for several vessels and accompanied many convoys before stopping in Leyte Gulf.

1945

For half of 1945, Stevens ran mostly in the Philippines. On 9 January 1945, she was tasked with escorting another supply echelon to Lingayen Gulf and was attacked by Japanese planes, four of which were downed. In April, Stevens worked out of Subic Bay, Luzon, and helped with several landings near Mindanao Island. Later, she helped the minesweeping units near Santa Cruz. The month of May was spent near Manila Bay for exercises and repairs.

The 7th of June brought Stevens to the invasion of Borneo, where she patrolled and went to Tawi Tawi with the task force. Until 2 July, she supported the Balikpapan invasion; she later fought off an air attack on 17 June. She stayed in San Pedro bay for a week and then took part in antisubmarine warfare exercises.

Fate

At the end of the war, Stevens screened several other vessels, then went to Inchon, Korea, for repairs. Until 29 September, she helped inter Japanese ships and then helped troops land at Taku Bar. By 8 November, Stevens was at San Pedro, California, reporting to the 19th Reserve Fleet for overhaul. She was decommissioned on 2 July 1946 and removed from the Pacific Reserve Fleet on 1 December 1972. The following year on 27 November, she was sold for scrap to Zidell Explorations, Inc.

Asbestos Risks

The substance known as asbestos was widely utilized for insulating pipes and for fire control aboard each American naval vessel through both world wars. While a ship's engine room and engineering spaces generally were the spaces where crewmen or repair personnel were most likely to be exposed to particles of asbestos, practically all parts of a ship like the Stevens posed a measurable level of asbestos exposure. When a vessel was hit in battle, by Mother Nature, or accidentally, it frequently uncovered asbestos-containing fixtures to the open air or subjected them to fire or water; this meant additional danger of being subjected to major asbestos inhalation.

The most serious risk to human health with asbestos happens in circumstances where products made from the mineral become damaged and exposed; if very small asbestos filaments are released into the air, the material may then be inhaled by people in the area. A history of asbestos exposure has been extensively linked to pericardial mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and other major medical problems.

Those workers and sailors who were exposed to asbestos, therefore, should inform their medical professionals, as most asbestos-caused conditions are hard to 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 vessels of her type, the sailors who fought on board the Stevens were, in addition to the expected dangers associated with battle, imperiled by asbestos fiber inhalation. This was the case in spite of the fact the destroyer underwent remarkably light combat damage and generally routine redesigns and patch jobs. The absence of serious damage and refit work notwithstanding, those who served on the Stevens were nevertheless in danger of inhaling asbestos in the daily conduct of their loyal service. Moreover, this was particularly true for repair personnel such as welders and electricians who worked on this vessel when she spent time at a shipyard.

For servicemen who lived or toiled aboard this naval vessel at any point in their career, and those assigned to her sisters in the fleet, it is urgent to become well informed about the risks posed by service-related exposure to this deadly mineral, especially in light of our increased understanding of the consequences of prolonged contact with asbestos.

Destroyers Index