USS Crowninshield (DD-134)
The USS Crowninshield (DD-134) served in the US Navy for over two decades in the early 20th century, as well as with the forces of Great Britain, Canada, and the Soviet Union. She was named for Benjamin William Crowninshield who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as Secretary of the Navy. Crowninshield was built as a Wickes-class destroyer.
Construction
Crowninshield was laid down in Bath, Maine by Bath Iron Works in November 1918, launched in July 1919, and commissioned in August with Lieutenant Commander R.E. Sampson in command. Carrying a crew of 103, Crowninshield was 314 feet, five inches long and was armed with four 4-inch rapid-fire guns, two anti-aircraft guns, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Crowninshield was deployed to the Panama Canal Zone and Cuban waters in 1921 and transported Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels from Key West to Guantanamo Bay for fleet maneuvers. In July 1922, Crowninshield was decommissioned and put on reserve status in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Crowninshield joined the Battle Force in San Diego when re-commissioned in May 1930. During this deployment, she conducted fleet exercises on the west coast, as well as near Hawaii and in the Caribbean, and operated with Aircraft, Battle Force. Crowninshield was assigned to the Rotating Reserve from July 1931 to December 1934, and attended opening ceremonies for the San Francisco Bay Bridge in November 1936, and then was decommissioned in April 1937.
When re-commissioned in September 1939, Crowninshield operated with the Neutrality Patrol in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Crowninshield arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in September 1940 to be transferred to the British Royal Navy, and renamed HMS Chelsea. The former Crowninshield arrived in Devonport, England and was assigned to the Sixth Escort Group, Western Approaches Command, Liverpool. During this deployment, she conducted convoy duty, and endured several attacks by submarines and aircraft. The former Crowninshield rescued survivors of SS Olga S. which sank following an air attack.
The former Crowninshield engaged in a submarine hunt in February 1942, along with fellow convoy member Arbutus, which was torpedoed and sunk just hours later. She fired on the submarine and released depth charges, and then rescued the survivors of the wrecked Arbutus.
The former Crowninshield was lent to the Royal Canadian Navy from November 1942 until late 1943, escorted convoys to and from Great Britain, and put on reserve in Northern Ireland in December 1943. She was transferred to the Soviet Union in July 1944, and renamed Derzkiy, then was returned to Great Britain in June 1949 and broken up for scrap.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Crowninshield (DD-134)
The installation of asbestos in the construction of naval vessels was ordered by law in the United States in the early 1930s, after a fire at sea aboard the SS Morro Castle killed 137 people. Crowninshield, like most Navy ships of the time, utilized asbestos insulation in large quantities, particularly in ship's boilers and engineering rooms, as well as for insulation throughout the ship. If asbestos-containing material is worn or damaged it becomes friable, which means that individual fibers can break off and escape into the atmosphere, and then are breathed in by sailors and shipfitters, potentially leading to the development of mesothelioma. The mineral asbestos has been known for centuries for its ability to insulate, but it has also been demonstrated to be the principal factor in the development of debilitating conditions including asbestosis and peritoneal mesothelioma.
Because pleural mesothelioma is often diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, the prognosis, in most cases, is poor. If you or a family member has developed mesothelioma, a good mesothelioma lawyer can counsel you about any legal recourse that may be available to you.
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Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-134 (http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd134txt.htm) Retrieved 22 December 2010
NavSource Naval History, USS Crowninshield (DD-134).
(http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/134.htm) Retrieved 22 December 2010
