USS La Vallette (DD-448)
The USS La Vallette (DD-448) actively served in the U.S. Navy for a half a decade, but remained on the Navy list until 1974, and earned 10 battle stars for her service in World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral Elie A. F. La Vallette who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. La Vallette was built as a Fletcher-class destroyer.
Construction
La Vallette was laid down in Kearny, New Jersey by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in November 1941, launched in June 1942, and commissioned in August with Lieutenant Commander H.H. Henderson in command. Carrying a crew of 273, La Vallette 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
La Vallette conducted training and escort operations in the Atlantic and the Caribbean, and then was deployed for duty in the Pacific in December 1942. In January 1943, La Vallette experienced her first enemy engagement, where she downed three enemy planes off Guadalcanal. While serving as a guard for Chicago, La Vallette was hit by a torpedo and lost 22 crew members. She was temporarily repaired at Espiritu Santo and then fixed at Mare Island Navy Yard in California.
La Vallette joined a strike force off Marcus Island in August, and then was assigned to patrol duty in the Solomon Islands. While serving off Kolombangara in October, La Vallette sank four Japanese troop barges and damaged two others, and then conducted escort and screening duties in the Gilbert Islands as well as off Kwajalein and Wotje. La Vallette participated in pre-invasion activities off Roi, and then supported troop landings at Noemfoor island.
La Vallette continued escort duty in the Philippine assaults, and covered several troop landings following the Battle of Leyte Gulf in December 1944 and January 1945. She also served with minesweepers in Manila Bay and was damaged again by a mine at Mariveles Harbor in February. The destroyer underwent repairs at Hunters Point Navy Yard in San Francisco, and then was decommissioned at San Diego in April 1946. La Vallette was stricken from the Navy list in February 1974, and was sold for scrap to Peru in July 1974.
Asbestos Risk on the USS La Vallette (DD-448)
The destroyers built for World War II relied on asbestos in most areas requiring fireproofing and thermal insulation. La Vallette employed asbestos materials above and below decks, in engineering spaces, around steam pipes, in pumps and valves, and mixed into paints and cements. Because asbestos materials were used in so many varied applications and locations on board, nearly every sailor likely encountered the mineral while engaged in his duties. Research has linked maritime asbestos exposure with an increased risk of mesothelioma for Navy veterans. If you or a loved one suffers from asbestos cancer and once served aboard La Vallette, a mesothelioma lawyer can explain your legal rights.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-448.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd448txt.htm
NavSource Naval History, USS La Vallette (DD-448).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/448.htm
