USS Cassin (DD-43)
The USS Cassin was the lead ship of the Cassin class of destroyers, one of only four ever built. She was named after Captain Stephen Cassin, who received a gold medal for bravery for his term as commander of the Ticonderoga during the Battle of Lake Champlain.
Construction
On May 1, 1912 Cassin’s keel was laid down by Bath Iron Works, of Bath, Maine. She was launched in May 1913. Cassin was sponsored by Miss H.C. Carusi and commissioned under Lieutenant Commander H. Laning in August 1913. Cassin carried four four-inch guns and eight eighteen-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Between December 1913 and June 1914, Cassin sailed in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with the 6th Division for fleet maneuvers and exercises. Prior to World War I, Cassin rescued several passengers from the wrecked SS Atlantis in May 1914. She patrolled along the east coast from October 1914 to January 1915, then headed to the Caribbean for winter maneuvers.
Until April 1917, Cassin conducted neutrality patrols and drills along the east coast along with surveillance patrol in the Caribbean. She was prepared for overseas deployment during World War I. Upon her arrival at Queenstown, Ireland, she began rendezvousing with American troop convoys out at sea and escorting them into ports in both England and France. After sighting a German U-boat twenty-three miles south of Mind Head, Ireland, she pursued and was struck by a torpedo on October 15, 1917. She suffered the loss of Gunner’s Mate First Class Osmand Ingram, whose attempt to throw depth charges overboard before the torpedo could strike Cassin cost him his life. He posthumously received a Medal of Honor for his deed. Cassin would not return to duty until July 18 after repairs in Queenstown.
Due to Cassin’s war service, she was chosen as an escort to SS George Washington which was carrying President Woodrow Wilson to the Versailles Peace Conference in Brest, France in December 1918. She returned to Boston, Massachusetts in January 1919.
Cassin was placed in reserve in June 1919, was reactivated between February and October 1921, and then returned to Charleston. She was decommissioned in Philadelphia in June 1922. April 1924 saw her in service in the U.S. Coast Guard under the hull code CG-1. Cassin was returned to the Navy in June 1933 and was sold on August 22, 1934.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Cassin (DD-372)
Those serving on board the USS Cassin may have been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. This was especially true for those working in higher heat environments such as engine mechanics. These individuals were responsible for repairing and maintaining equipment that contained asbestos gaskets, packing, insulation and other types of asbestos containing products. If any of these materials were worn with age or had to be cut during the repair or installation process, asbestos fibers were released into the air. Because they worked in closely confined and poorly ventilated areas engine mechanics were highly susceptible to breathing in the harmful asbestos dust.
Asbestos was later discovered to cause a cancer known as mesothelioma. It is a terminal cancer that has claimed the lives of many navy veterans. If you served on the USS Cassin and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma please fill out the form on this page to request free information about the mesothelioma treatment and legal options that may be available to you. We will send the information right away.
Sources
Cassin [I]. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c4/cassin-i.htm
