USS Burrows (DD-29)

The USS Burrows (DD-29) served in the US Navy starting in the second decade of the 20th century. She was named for Lieutenant William Burrows, who died on board the brig USS Enterprise following an engagement with the British brig HMS Boxer 13 in September 1813. Burrows was built as a Paulding-class ship.

Construction

The 742-ton Burrows was laid down in Camden, New Jersey in June 1909 by New York Shipbuilding Company, was launched in June 1910, and then commissioned in February 1911 with Lieutenant J.F. Hellweg in command. Burrows was 293 feet, 10 inches in length, carried a crew of 86, and was armed with five three-inch rapid-fire guns and three 18-inch torpedo tubes. She was propelled by four boilers and three Parsons turbines that produced 17,393 horsepower.

Naval History

Burrows served with the Torpedo Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet and operated along the east coast of the United Sates and Cuban waters, while performing tactical maneuvers, torpedo practice, gunnery, and war games. In 1916, Burrows conducted neutrality patrols near Staten Island and Long Island, New York, and patrolled the lower harbor of New York when the United States entered World War I. She also patrolled New England waters and in the Florida Straits.

In April 1917, Burrows was assigned to the Patrol Force and searched for a German target near Nantucket, Massachusetts. Burrows then reported to the Philadelphia Navy Yard to be refit for distance service.

Burrows sailed with Group 2, Cruiser and Transport Force from New York in June 1917, and was assigned to escort the Atlantic Fleet Convey which carried the first American Expeditionary Force to reach France. After arriving in the Loire River, France, she was assigned to patrol Ireland’s south coast. During this deployment, Burrows escorted convoys, participated in attacks on German submarines in the English Channel, and rescued survivors. Burrows collided with a British patrol vessel in May 1918, was repaired, and was assigned to antisubmarine and convoy duty out of Brest, France.

Burrows remained in France until the end of World War I, and assisted the torpedoed USS West Bridge in August. Following the November 1918 Armistice, she departed from France and arrived in the United States in January 1919. Burrows served along the east coast and was decommissioned in December, and was transferred to the United States Coast Guard in June 1924 for active service under the name USCGC Burrows (CG-10) from June 1925 to February 1931.

In May 1931, Burrows was returned to the Navy and was sold for scrap in 1934. Her materials were used under the terms of the London Treaty for the limitation and reduction of naval armament.

Asbestos Risk on the USS Burrows (DD-29)

All branches of the armed services used asbestos insulation and other asbestos products in the construction of buildings, vehicles and ships. The use of asbestos provided necessary protection from fire and heat in many different applications. Asbestos was used extensively, however, on U.S. navy ships and this put many navy veterans at risk of being exposed to asbestos while serving on board these vessels.

In the latter part of the 1900’s, asbestos was determined to cause a terminal cancer called mesothelioma. Today, many of our nation’s veterans are discovering that they have developed this serious illness. If you are one of these veterans, you have legal rights. Simply fill out the form on this page to request more information about mesothelioma, asbestos exposure and your legal rights to learn more.

Sources

NavSource Naval History, USS Burrows (DD-29).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/029.htm Retrieved 17 December 2010

Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-b/dd29.htm Retrieved 17 December 2010

Tin Can Sailors, USS Burrows (DD-29). Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.destroyers.org/DANFS/h-DD-29.htm Updated 1959. Retrieved 17 December 2010