USS Edwards (DD-619)
The USS Edwards (DD-619) was commissioned by the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, and remained on the Navy list until 1971. She was named for Lieutenant Commander Walter Atlee Edwards, a recipient of the Medal of Honor by President Calvin Coolidge. Edwards was built as a Gleaves-class naval vessel.
Construction
Edwards was laid down at Kearny, New Jersey by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in February 1942, launched in July, and commissioned in September with Lieutenant Commander W.L. Messmer in command. Carrying a crew of 208, Edwards was armed with six one-half inch machine guns, four five-inch anti-aircraft guns, and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Edwards was initially assigned to escort duty off the east coast and in the Caribbean. The destroyer was then deployed to the Pacific Fleet and arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia in January 1943. While escorting a convoy to Guadalcanal, Japanese bombers torpedoed Chicago off Rennell Island, and Edwards detached from the convoy to screen the damaged vessel. The ship was torpedoed again the next day and Edwards rescued 224 survivors.
Overhauled at Pearl Harbor in March 1943, Edwards was then deployed to the Aleutian Islands in April, where she served during the invasion of Attu and also inflicted damage to submarine I-35. Edwards remained in the Aleutians into August, and then underwent training at Espiritu Santo. In November, Edwards screened aircraft carriers during air strikes on Rabaul, New Guinea, and served the same duties in the Marshall Islands, the Palaus, and New Guinea in March and April 1944.
Edwards was then assigned to patrol duty in the eastern Marshall Islands from May to August, including at atolls such as Mili, Jaluit, Maloelap, and Wotje. Following another overhaul at Pearl Harbor, Edwards commenced patrols at San Pedro Bay, Leyte in October and operated during the troop landings at Ormoc in the Philippines. Edwards served with convoys throughout the islands, and in May 1945, participated in the invasion of Borneo, before escorting convoys to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The destroyer was decommissioned at Charleston, South Carolina in April 1946 and sold for scrap to Southern Scrap Material Corporation in May 1973, having been distinguished with 14 battle stars for her wartime service.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Edwards (DD-619)
Merchant and naval vessels such as the USS Edwards used a variety of ACMs (asbestos-containing materials) as insulation in their engineering sections as well as for many other applications throughout the ship. Asbestos-containing material was deployed almost universally aboard ships and at naval bases by the Navy as it provided superior protection from fire and heat, especially in high heat environments like the boiler, pump and power rooms. The substance was used to insulate steam pipes, to fireproof steam boilers, and to fireproof components of the ship's engines and turbines. Most of the crew serving or working on Edwards may have been exposed to asbestos fibers to some extent while stationed on the ship.
Medical science has established a causal relationship between the inhalation of asbestos and the development of mesothelioma. Those serving on the USS Edwards could be at risk for developing a serious asbestos related disease. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma it may be wise to consider consulting with a mesothelioma lawyer to understand what options may be available to you.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-619.
(http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd619txt.htm) Retrieved 28 January 2011.
NavSource Naval History. USS Edwards (DD-619).
(http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/619.htm) Retrieved 28 January 2011.
