USS Tarbell DD-142

The USS Tarbell was a Wickes-class destroyer laid down during World War I on 31 December 1917 and launched on 28 May 1918. She was built by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and named for Capt. Joseph Tarbell.

Service prior to World War II

The Tarbell was commissioned on 27 November 1918 and began operations along the east coast that would continue until September 1919. She was reassigned to the Pacific Fleet and based in San Francisco after 1919, serving with Destroyer Division 15 until late January of 1920, when she joined Division 13.

Her home port was changed to Cavite in the Philippines, and the Tarbell joined the Asiatic Fleet. She continued operations in the Pacific until she was decommissioned on 8 June 1922 and berthed at San Diego.

The Tarbell was recommissioned on 29 May 1930 and assigned to Destroyer Division 11. She remained in the Pacific with her home port at San Diego until January 1931, when she was assigned to duty in the Atlantic out of Charleston. Late in 1936, the Tarbell prepared to be decommissioned for a second time, this time in Philadelphia.

She was berthed in Philadelphia when war broke out in Europe in 1939. She was recommissioned on 4 October 1939 and assigned to the Neutrality Patrol. She operated in the Atlantic for the two years that would remain before the U.S. entry into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Service in World War II

The Tarbell continued to provide convoy escorts after the war began for the United States, primarily operating in the North Atlantic. In May of 1942, the destroyer began to help with surveillance of Vichy French warships in the Caribbean. She continued to run escort missions, and on 16 May she rescued 24 members of the crew of Lammont Dupont, which had been torpedoed four days out of New York.

The Tarbell ran additional escorts in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico and then began screening transatlantic convoys in May 1943. Her first convoy arrived in Casablanca safely on 15 June. After this, the Tarbell returned to the United States and underwent repairs, which, along with additional training, lasted until August.

The Tarbell underwent refresher training after several more convoy runs, and on 26 December 1943, she sailed from Norfolk as an escort for a convoy to North Africa. On 31 December the Tarbell took the badly damaged Lea in tow and sailed to Bermuda. She was relieved of her towing duties on 3 January 1944 and returned to the convoy, meeting up with it at Horta in the Azores on 7 January.

The Retirement of the Tarbell

The Tarbell continued to hunt submarines along convoy routes and reached Norfolk on 7 February. She was subsequently assigned to the Air Force, Atlantic Fleet, for crew training off Provincetown. She was relieved of that duty in April; then, until July 1945, she operated as a carrier escort and a target ship.

The Tarbell was decommissioned on 20 July 1945 and berthed at Philadelphia. She was struck from the naval register on 13 August 1945 and sold for scrap on 30 November to the Boston Metal Salvage Company of Baltimore, Maryland.

Asbestos Risks

Asbestos was routinely used for insulation and as fire control on each U.S. Navy craft in the first seven decades of the 20th century. While practically every section of the Tarbell posed at least some asbestos risk, the vessel's engines and mechanical compartments usually were the workspaces where a Navy file or a civilian worker was apt to come into contact with asbestos fibers. If a craft was hit, whether in battle, by Mother Nature, or through misfortune, it often uncovered asbestos-laden fixtures to the open air or subjected them to fire or flooding, which brought about additional danger of undergoing high levels of asbestos contact.

The highest level of risk of harmful exposure relating to asbestos occurs whenever fibers become damaged and exposed, because when very small asbestos fibers can enter the air, the particles may then be breathed in by people in the area. As a history of asbestos proximity is extensively associated with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other major medical disorders, seamen exposed to this mineral should promptly notify their doctors. Discussing exposure history is important, because asbestos-related diseases can be puzzling to distinguish from other illnesses. 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.

In addition to the inherent hazards associated with enemy encounters, servicemen who fought on board the Tarbell were, as were people on the other craft of this class, all too often subjected to asbestos fiber exposure, in spite of the fact the ship suffered moderate damage in combat and underwent mostly routine renovations and patch jobs. The absence of significant combat damage and repair activity notwithstanding, sailors who served aboard the Tarbell were still in contact with asbestos in the ordinary course of their duties. The chance of encountering asbestos was also high for maintenance workers such as pipefitters and electricians who repaired the Tarbell whenever the vessel spent time dry-docked.

Given our increased understanding of the consequences of prolonged contact with asbestos, the sailors who sailed or toiled aboard this destroyer at any point in their career, and those assigned to other Navy ships, should educate themselves about the risks posed by their former exposure to asbestos fibers.

Sources:

Destroyers Index