USS Drayton (DD-23)
The USS Drayton (DD-23) served in the US Navy during the second decade of the 20th century. She was named for Captain Percival Drayton who served in the Civil War and was named Chief of the Bureau of Navigation in April 1865. Drayton was built as a Paulding-class destroyer.
Construction
The 742-ton Drayton was laid down in Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works in August 1909, and then launched and commissioned in 1910, with Lieutenant Commander H.C. Dinger in command. She had an overall length of 293 feet, 10 inches, with a crew capacity of 86, and was powered by direct drive turbines. Drayton was armed with five three-inch guns and six 18-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Drayton operated on the east coast of the United States and in Cuban waters, and served blockade duty off Mexico beginning in April 1914, where she was assigned to transport refugees. After returning to New York in June, she conducted torpedo and gunnery exercises and served on neutrality patrol out of Newport and in Caribbean waters.
In April 1917, Drayton intercepted the German steamer Frieda Leonhardt near Jacksonville, Florida, and interned her crew following American entry into World War I. She was then assigned to the Patrol Force and received a refit at the Boston Navy Yard in May, where she was kitted for distant service.
Drayton arrived in Queenstown, Ireland in June 1917, and escorted inbound and outbound ships along the coast of Ireland. During this deployment, she rescued 42 survivors at Bantry Ireland, while searching for the submarine that torpedoed SS Bengore Head. She escorted a transport convoy to St. Nazaire, participated in a submarine hunt with two French cruisers, and rescued survivors following the mining of SS Foylemore.
In 1918, Drayton shifted base to Brest, France and was assigned to escort and antisubmarine operations. She returned to Boston in January 1919 for overhaul, performed various exercises along the east coast, and was decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard in November. Her name was dropped from the Navy list in July 1933 and Drayton was sold for scrap in March 1935.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Drayton (DD-23)
The Drayton made use of asbestos insulation extensively in ship's boilers and engineering compartments, and to insulate compartments throughout the ship. When asbestos gets into the body, tiny fibers lodge in the mesothelium, a narrow body of cells that surrounds and buffers the body's lungs, heart, and stomach, and in time this foreign material may lead to mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer. Sailors on ships from this era face a significant risk of exposure to this dangerous mineral.
Accurate information concerning asbestos exposure on Navy vessels and the diseases it can cause is often difficult to research. To help, we've created a mesothelioma information packet with complete information on legal options and treatment choices, as well as a list of mesothelioma clinics in the United States. All you have to do is fill out the form on this page and we'll get you this valuable guide.
Sources
NavSource Naval History, USS Drayton (DD-23).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/023.htm Retrieved 16 December 2010
Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-d/dd23.htm Retrieved 16 December 2010
Tin Can Sailors, USS Drayton (DD-23), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.destroyers.org/DANFS/h-DD-23.htm Updated 1963. Retrieved 16 December 2010
