USS Aaron Ward (DD-773)
The USS Aaron Ward (DD-773) served in the U.S. Navy for one year during World War II. She was named for Aaron Ward, a U.S. Navy officer during the second half of the 19th century. Aaron Ward was built as an Allen M. Sumner-class ship.
Construction
Aaron Ward was laid down in San Pedro, California by Bethlehem Steel in December 1943. She was launched in May 1944 and commissioned in October 1944, with Commander William H. Sanders, Jr. at the helm. Aaron Ward carried a crew of 336 and boasted a cruising speed of 36.5 knots. She was armed with six five-inch anti-aircraft guns, twelve 40-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, eleven 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Aaron Ward began her service in the Pacific Ocean in February 1945. Following a period of training at Pearl Harbor, she quickly joined a fleet bound for Okinawa.
For the first month of the operation, Aaron Ward swept for mines and screened heavy warships. She made it through this operation unscathed—until May 3, when a fleet of enemy planes appeared. The Aaron Ward successfully repelled the first two planes, but a third plane crashed into the ship’s superstructure and released a bomb that exploded in the engine room.
The ship immediately lost steering power, and several fires sprung up—but Aaron Ward remained afloat. She spent the remainder of the day warding off additional kamikaze attacks with some degree of success, until yet another plane collided with the ship, this time taking out the halyards and antennae assemblies. A short time later, the vessel suffered a third hit, this time a direct crash on the main deck. Aaron Ward lost all power, and a fourth kamikaze plane soon collided with the deckhouse bulkhead. Before the day was out, the destroyer suffered three more hits (for a total of seven), resulting in damage to the port side superstructure, an ammunition explosion, and significant flooding.
All told, 27 men were lost. When the smoke cleared later that night, the heavily damaged Aaron Ward was towed to Kerama Retto. She later returned to the United States under her own power. She was decommissioned in 1945 and later broken up and sold for scrap.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Aaron Ward (DD-773)
In the late 1800’s, asbestos and asbestos products were used extensively by builders and manufacturers as a fire-proofing and insulating material. It was also very popular in the shipbuilding industry. Many areas of marine vessels contained equipment that operated in high heat environments. This equipment needed to withstand and be protected from extreme heat and fire and asbestos based products provided that capability.
Many areas aboard the Aaron Ward were constructed with asbestos containing material. Some areas that required more extensive heat and fire insulation such as engine, pump and boiler rooms contained even more concentrated quantities of the material. These areas were also typically very tight quarters and poorly ventilated. As a result the personnel responsible for performing maintenance on the equipment such as engine mechanics or boilermen, were placed at a high risk of breathing in airborne asbestos fibers as they cut through insulation, replaced valves or installed new pipes.
As the public became more informed about the health risks of asbestos and the fact that it caused mesothelioma, political authorities began taking action. By the late 1970s asbestos had been largely banned for many applications. In 1979 the U.S. Navy stopped using asbestos in ships and in shore facilities.
Those serving on the USS Aaron Ward may have suffered from high levels of asbestos exposure and, today, could be at risk for developing mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-773.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd773txt.htm
NavSource Naval History, USS Aaron Ward (DD-773).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/773.htm
