USS Howard (DD-179)

USS Howard (DD-179) was one of 111 Wickes-class destroyers to be built for the US Navy during World War II. She was named in honor of Charles W. Howard, who was killed during the Civil War while serving aboard USS New Ironsides.

Construction

Howard was launched on April 26, 1919 by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California. She was sponsored by Marion Filmer. Commander B.M. Stewart took command of Howard on January 29, 1920 at Mare Island.

Naval History

Howard joined the Pacific Destroyer force in San Diego, California on March 1, 1920. Here, she engaged in tactical maneuvers and gunnery training before sailing to Topolobampo, Mexico. Upon returning to San Diego, she engaged in patrols, battle practice, torpedo practice and exercises with submarines before being decommissioned on May 27, 1922.

Howard was recommissioned on August 29, 1940, at which time she was converted to a minesweeper. After being reclassified as DMS-7, Howard reported for duty in the Caribbean, where she remained until mid-May 1941. During this time, Howard conducted patrol duty and minesweeping assignments as she assisted with the enforcement of the Neutrality Act. Howard then joined in exercises along Chesapeake Bay until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Following the United States entry into World War II, Howard began performing escort duties of transports and tankers through the western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Howard also assisted during the first phase of the Battle of Casablanca, serving as a screen for Augusta while dueling with Jean Bart. Howard returned to Norfolk after completing anti-submarine patrol duties in the area.

For most of 1943, Howard protected Allied ships and oil tankers from air and submarine attacks along the Atlantic and Caribbean. In October 1944, she assisted with the invasion of the Philippines as she carried out minesweeping duties and cleared paths in Leyte Gulf and Surigao Strait. She then engaged in training operations for two months before returning to the Philippines to assist with the next phase of the operation. Despite kamikaze attacks and the loss of three sister ships, Howard completed the mission. In February of the following year, she assisted with the invasion of Iwo Jima and ultimately arrived back at Pearl Harbor on April 4, 1945.

One month after returning to Pearl Harbor, Howard was reclassified as AG-106. She then escorted submarines in Hawaiian waters while also acting as a plane guard. She then sailed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was decommissioned on November 30, 1945. She was sold to Northern Metals Company for scrap in 1946. Howard earned six battle stars for her service in World War II.

Asbestos Risk on the USS Howard (DD-179)

Using asbestos insulation in the design of oceangoing vessels was ordered by law in the United States in the early 1930s, after a deadly fire aboard a cruise ship killed 137 people. Vessels like Howard utilized asbestos frequently around ship's boilers and engineering compartments, as well as to insulate steam pipes all through the vessel. After asbestos is inhaled or swallowed, tiny fibers migrate to the mesothelial layer, a paper-thin layer of cells which surrounds and protects the body's lungs, stomach, and heart, and in time this infiltration may cause mesothelioma cancer.

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Sources

Howard. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center. (http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h8/howard.htm) Retrieved 20 December 2010