USS Stewart DD-224

The USS Stewart (DD-224) was named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart and was the second ship to have the honor. This Clemson-class destroyer played a role in World War II, though she was laid down on 9 September 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by William Cramp and Sons. The ship was launched on 4 March 1920 and was commissioned with S. G. Lamb in command on 15 September 1920.

Before World War II

Prior to World War II, Stewart performed mostly coastal operations. However, she joined Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic, on 12 October 1921, received repairs, and then set out to the Philippines to serve with the Asiatic Fleet. She wasn't to return to the US for 23 years. While based in Chefoo, China, Stewart performed training exercises and made calls at Chinese ports. In 1923, she went to Yokosuka, Japan, to help victims of the Great Kanto earthquake, and in May of that year she helped Army aircraft fly around the world in Japan and in Shanghai.

From 1924 to 1928, Stewart brought marines to Shanghai to control anti-foreign problems and assist gunboat patrols. In 1927, she protected Americans during unrest in China, and in 1932 she helped to protect Americans during a Japanese air attack on Shanghai. Later in 1937 when war between China and Japan was full-fledged, she was in several Chinese ports. She performed patrol duty in the Philippines for the next three years, and entered overhaul at Cavite Navy Yard on 5 April 1940. On 27 November, she was sent to the Dutch East Indies.

World War II

At the end of 1941, Stewart helped to escort naval auxiliaries from the Philippines to Australia, and for the first month of 1942 she escorted additional convoys in the Dutch East Indies. Then, in February she worked to intercept the Japanese in Makassar Strait, but an accompanying ship was damaged too badly to complete the mission. She then joined with the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command to attack Japanese forces in Sumatra.

On 19 and 20 February, Stewart came under attack from Japanese destroyers during the Battle of Badung Strait. She flooded in the engine room, and though she made it back to Surabaya and was sent to dry dock, she wasn't supported properly and fell onto her side. Stewart's crew were told to leave the ship; demolition charges were set off inside, and a Japanese bomb hit near her. She was removed from the Navy list on 25 March 1942.

A New Life with the Japanese Navy

Even though it seemed it was all over for the Stewart, she had more life in her yet. In fact, she was raised from underwater by the Japanese in February 1943, called Patrol Boat No. 102, and commissioned to the Imperial Japanese Navy. She worked on escort duty mostly. In April of 1945, she was bombed by the U.S. Army in Mokpo, Korea. Then, she was found in Hiro Bay by American forces.

A Triumphant Return

On 29 October 1945, Stewart was recommissioned at Kure in the U.S. Navy with a new nickname of RAMP-224, which stood for Recovered Allied Military Personnel. On her way to San Francisco, CA, her engines gave out, and she was towed the rest of the way. She was decommissioned on 23 May 1946 and then sunk near San Francisco.

Asbestos Risks

In each American naval craft in the first seven decades of the 20th century, asbestos, a fibrous mineral, was commonly installed for insulating compartments and as fireproofing. Though nearly all sections of a ship such as the Stewart offered at least some asbestos risk, a ship's boilers and engineering sections were the spaces where sailors or maintenance workers were prone to be exposed to asbestos fibers. Increased danger of experiencing high levels of asbestos contact occurred when the vessel was damaged, whether in battle or accidentally, because that frequently uncovered asbestos-containing materials to the air or subjected them to fire or water.

When dealing with asbestos, the highest level of risk to human health is experienced where fibers are easily broken, because when tiny asbestos microfibers are released into the surrounding air, the material may then be inhaled by those near the exposure. Numerous studies have proven that serious medical problems such as asbestosis, lung cancer and several types of mesothelioma are caused by occupational asbestos inhalation.

As most asbestos-caused disorders can be tricky to detect, Navy personnel who worked around this substance should definitely notify their primary care physicians of the details about this history. 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.

It is one of the unfortunate realities of World War II that on top of the expected hazards associated with battle, men who sailed aboard the Stewart were, as were sailors on the other vessels of this type, all too often subjected to asbestos fiber exposure, especially since the destroyer underwent heavy battle damage and required extensive redesigns and overhauls. In addition to the large-scale battle damage and redesign work, sailors who worked aboard the Stewart were often endangered by asbestos fibers in the ordinary conduct of their loyal service, as were port-based workers such as welders and carpenters who repaired the Stewart when the craft was at a shipyard.

Considering the Stewart's service record, and based on our increased understanding of the consequences of prolonged contact with asbestos, it is important that the troops who at any point in their career lived and labored aboard this ship, and those assigned to other naval vessels, understand the hazards raised by service-related exposure to this deadly fiber.

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