USS Beale (DD-40)
The USS Beale (DD-40) was a Paulding-class destroyer that served during the World War I era. She was named after Edward Fitzgerald Beale who volunteered during the Battle of San Pascual with Kit Carson to find a way through Mexican lines in order to summon assistance from the garrison at San Diego.
Construction
On May 8, 1911 Beale was laid down by William Cramp & Sons and she launched just under a year later in April 1912. She was sponsored by the daughter of Lt. Beale, Mrs. Emily Beale McLean and was commissioned with Lt. Charles T. Blackburn in command in August of 1912. Beale carried five three-inch guns and six eighteen-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Beale began her career along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies as a unit belonging to the 5th Group, Torpedo Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet. She had a month in Mexican waters almost immediately during the American occupation of Vera Cruz. Beale was placed on reserve December of 1915, but was brought back to active duty for neutrality patrol duty under a reduced commission status. In March 1917 she returned to full commission and was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer Force.
Beale sailed for St. Nazaire in January 1918, then set sail immediately for Queenstown, Ireland where she would be permanently stationed. On February 27th, she thought she spotted a submarine and dropped a depth charge. Oil arose, but no one knows how much damage the submarine took.
In December 1918, after the war, Beale returned to duty along the Atlantic coast. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Philadelphia in October 1919. Beale was reactivated in April 1924 and spent six and one half years on “Rum Patrol” with the Coast Guard. In October 1930 she returned to Philadelphia and joined the Reserve Fleet. On July 5, 1934 her name was removed from the Navy List and she was sold for scrap on August 22, 1934.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Beale (DD-40)
Asbestos materials were used on the USS Beale, particularly in heat-sensitive applications like engines, boilers, and generators. The U.S. Navy relied on asbestos as an insulator and fireproofing agent for many years, stopping only after the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma became irrefutable. Engineers, electricians, and steamfitters on board Beale had the greatest exposure and risk for disease, but no veteran of this ship was completely safe from asbestos.
Sources
Beale [I]. Dictionary of Naval Fighting ships.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b4/beale-i.htm). Updated 21 February 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
