USS Izard (DD-589)
The USS Izard (DD-589) was commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II and remained on the Navy list until the late 1960s. She was named for Lieutenant Ralph Izard who served during Stephen Decatur’s expedition to Tripoli Harbor in 1804. Izard was laid down as a Fletcher-class destroyer.
Construction
Izard was laid down by the Charleston Navy Yard in May 1942, launched in August, and commissioned in May 1943 with Commander Earl K. Van Swearingen in command. Carrying a crew of 273, Izard was armed with five 5-inch anti-aircraft guns, four 1.1-inch anti-aircraft guns, four 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Izard departed Norfolk, Virginia in September 1943 and arrived at Pearl Harbor in October for training and plane guard duty. In November, Izard was deployed with the aircraft carrier force to the Gilbert Islands, and protected air, surface, and anti-submarine operations at Makin Island until December. Following involvement in the Nauru Island bombardment, Izard prepared for and participated in the assault on the Marshall Islands, first as an air cover during the Kwajalein operation. Izard also participated in strikes on Truk, and in the effort to sink the many Japanese vessels that tried to escape the Marshall Islands.
Izard served as a protective screen for aircraft carriers operating at Tinian and Saipan in February, and then participated in the operations at New Guinea and the Mariana Islands with the 5th Fleet. The destroyer served during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, and continued supporting carriers for strikes on Okinawa, Formosa, and Leyte. In February 1945, Izard was assigned to fire support, screening, and radar picket duty off Iwo Jima.
In April, Izard was assigned to convoy escort duty from Pearl Harbor to Seattle, and then sailed from Hawaii to Adak, Alaska in June. Izard was then deployed to Honshu, Japan in August and continued operations in northern Japan after the war ended. She was decommissioned at San Diego in May 1946, struck from the Navy list in May 1968, and sold for scrap to the National Metal & Steel Corporation in April 1970. Izard was awarded ten battle stars for her service in World War II.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Izard (DD-589)
The Navy employed asbestos extensively until the late 1970s as a heat and electrical insulator and for fireproofing on board all its ships. Asbestos can produce mesothelioma by forming tumors on a body membrane called the mesothelium. Due to the nearly ubiquitous use of asbestos on board ships of this era, Navy veterans that served during World War II and the Korean conflict are diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases more often than members of any other U.S. armed service.
Crewmen working on the engines and turbines had a higher level of regular exposure. The more frequently a person encounters asbestos materials, the greater the odds of developing mesothelioma. Also at greater risk were those assigned to damage control, fire brigades, and civilian workers performing repairs while the ship was docked. No matter how a sailor or worker was exposed, the law often provides for compensation to those injured by asbestos aboard Navy ships.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-589.
(http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd589txt.htm) Retrieved 25 January 2011.
NavSource Naval History. USS Izard (DD-589).
(http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/589.htm) Retrieved 25 January 2011.
