USS Foote (DD-511)
The USS Foote (DD-511) was a Fletcher class destroyer and the third ship in the U.S. Navy honoring Rear Admiral Andrew Hull Foote (1806-1863).
Construction
Built in Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works, Foote was launched in October 1942, and commissioned the following December under the command of Bernard L. Austin.
Naval History
Her initial assignment was to escort a convoy across the Atlantic to Casablanca but by late June 1943, Foote had arrived at New Caledonia in the Pacific where she joined Destroyer Squadron 23. Foote spent the next several months guiding convoys from Nouméa to Guadalcanal, Efate, Espiritu Santo, Vella Lavella, and Rendova. She destroyed Japanese barges evacuating troops from Kolombangara and stood watch over the disabled McCalla until a tug arrived. Foote screened LSTs to Guadalcanal before providing gunfire support for the landings on the Treasury Islands. By late October, Foote had rendered the airfields at Buka Island and the Shortlands inoperative, effectively eliminating an air counter-offensive to the imminent Bouganville landings. Foote was hit by a torpedo in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay which caused extensive damage to her stern. 19 men were killed, 17 were wounded but the crew fought bravely through the night, splashing numerous enemy planes. In November, she was towed into Purvis Bay for temporary repairs.
In March 1944, Foote was towed to San Pedro, CA, where she was restored and updated before serving as a training ship for crews of destroyers sailing from San Francisco. She returned to action in November when she escorted an aircraft carrier force that was providing air cover for troops landing at Leyte. In December, Foote fought off kamikazes as she escorted a convoy to Mindoro. In January 1945, Foote participated in the Lingayen invasion by guarding amphibious forces, shelling the beaches, and engaging enemy air planes.
In May 1945, Foote served picket duty off Okinawa where she endured numerous air attacks and splashed at least one plane. Foote took part in both landings at Iheva Shima and at Aguni Shima and patrolled Okinawa waters before retiring to New York where she was decommissioned in April 1946. Foote was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 October 1972. She was sold for scrap in January 1974.
Foote received four battle stars for her service in World War II
Asbestos Risk on the USS Foote (DD-511)
Naval ships like the USS Foote employed ACMs (asbestos-containing materials) as insulation for the ships heavy machinery like pumps, boilers and engines. Boilers and engines generate a lot of heat, and for many years these machines used asbestos as a fire-retardant insulation.
If a member of the ship's crew was assigned to the ship's engineering section, the level of asbestos exposure they were likely to experience was fairly high. The engine and boiler rooms aboard Foote deployed asbestos in large quantities to insulate conduits, to line ship's boilers, and to cover parts of the ship's engines and power plant. Steam pipes ran to every compartment in the ship and were wrapped in asbestos insulation, bringing asbestos materials to nearly every part of the vessel.
Asbestos fibers taken into the lungs can damage the mesothelial tissues and are known to cause mesothelioma. If you served on the USS Foote and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma please submit the form on this page to request more information about the disease and your legal rights.
Sources
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
(http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/f3/foote-iii.htm) Retrieved 17 February 2011
