USS Van Valkenburgh DD-656

USS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) was a Fletcher-class destroyer named in honor of Franklin Van Valkenburgh (1888-1941), captain of the battleship USS Arizona during the attacks of 7 December 1941.

Van Valkenburgh's keel was laid down by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation at Chickasaw, Alabama, on 15 November 1942. She was launched on 19 December 1943 and commissioned at the Alabama State Docks, Mobile, Alabama on 2 August 1944 under command of Cmdr. Alexander B. Coxe, Jr.

World War II

After training and battle practice lasting through the end of December 1944, Van Valkenburgh departed Pearl Harbor for Iwo Jima in January 1945. On the morning of 19 February, Van Valkenburgh commenced her patrols as part of the three-layered screen around the unloading transports, providing gunfire support for the marines as they went ashore. For a week, she alternately screened, escorted, and bombarded off the coast of Iwo Jima.

On 27 March, Van Valkenburgh sailed for her second combat operation, the invasion of Okinawa. Over half of the period during which the destroyer was stationed off Okinawa was spent on hazardous radar picket duty. This provided the main invasion fleet with an early warning of the approach of enemy aircraft or surface units but also drew fire. Van Valkenburgh experienced at least two general quarters (red alert, battle stations) alarms per night and often four or five times between 9 p.m. and dawn.

Late in June, Van Valkenburgh finally left the forward areas for the Philippines. For the next two weeks, her crew enjoyed a well-earned break from the constant battles that had lasted for over two months.

Post-War Operations

For the first six weeks following the cessation of hostilities, Van Valkenburgh remained in Japanese waters on occupation duty. She sailed for the United States on 17 November, reaching San Diego on 6 December. Van Valkenburgh was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 12 April 1946.

Korea

On 31 August 1950, Van Valkenburgh's was reactivated, and she was ordered to the Far East on 2 May. She reached Yokosuka, Japan, on 17 June for an extended tour off the coast of Korea.

For the next 36 days, Van Valkenburgh screened the fast carriers as they launched air strikes against North Korean shore positions. On 1 August, she was assigned to the "bomb line."

Over the ensuing days, Van Valkenburgh expended over 2,400 rounds of ammunition against a range of targets.

Van Valkenburgh continued operating in the Far East until October, when she headed for the United States sailing westward and around the world.

Van Valkenburgh was decommissioned on 26 February 1954.

To Turkey

Transferred on loan to the Government of Turkey on 28 February 1967, Van Valkenburgh became TCG Izmir (D 341). She served in the Turkish Navy until broken up for scrap in 1987.

Asbestos Risks

In each American navy vessel through the war era, the mineral asbestos was widely utilized for insulation and as fire control. Though essentially all sections of a ship such as the USS Van Valkenburgh offered a measurable level of asbestos exposure, a vessel's engine room and engineering compartments usually were the sections where a seaman or shipyard worker was most likely to be endangered by asbestos dust. When the craft was damaged, whether due to enemy fire, by severe weather, or through misfortune, it almost inevitably exposed asbestos-laden components to the open air or subjected them to flames or flooding. This resulted in increased danger of having harmful levels of asbestos exposure.

The worst risk of harmful exposure relating to asbestos happens in circumstances where items containing the mineral become easily broken, because when very small asbestos fibers escape into the air, the material may then be inhaled by people nearby. Researchers have proven that serious medical disorders such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma are linked to even low levels of asbestos inhalation, so those who worked around this substance should immediately tell their primary care physicians, since most asbestos-caused problems can be difficult to distinguish from other illnesses because the symptoms can be mistaken for those of 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.

As with people on her sister vessels, the crewmen who lived and worked on board the Van Valkenburgh were, on top of the inherent dangers associated with war, in danger of asbestos fiber inhalation even though the ship absorbed remarkably little damage in battle and went through mostly routine redesigns and repairs. Regardless of the lack of serious battle damage and refit activity, the men who sailed aboard the Van Valkenburgh were nevertheless in danger of inhaling asbestos in the normal course of their loyal service. This was also true for maintenance workers such as machinists and electricians who serviced this naval vessel whenever she was dry-docked. Based on our increased understanding of the consequences of asbestos exposure, servicemen who sailed and worked on board this ship at any point in their career, as well as those who served on her sisters in the fleet, should be thoroughly informed about the dangers posed by past exposure to this deadly fiber.

Sources:

1. Mooney, James. Dictionary of American Fighting Ships. (Washington DC; Department of the Navy, 1991).
2. National Association of Destroyer Veterans. Tin Can Sailors (Web site).

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