USS Lamson (DD-18)
The USS Lamson (DD-19) served in the US Navy during the second decade of the 20th century. She was the first ship named for Roswell Hawkes Lamson, who piloted the powder boat Louisiana during the Union attack on Fort Fisher during the Civil War. Lamson was one of five Smith-class destroyers built for the US Navy.
Construction
The 700-ton Lamson was laid down in March 1908 by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was launched in June 1909 and then commissioned in February 1910, with Lieutenant Commander J.M. Ludy in command. Carrying a crew of 89, Lamson was 293 feet, 10 inches long, with a speed of 28 knots, and was armed with three-inch guns, depth charge racks and twin 18-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Lamson was assigned to the Atlantic Squadron in 1910 and operated along the United States east coast and in the Caribbean until 1916. She participated in torpedo exercises, fleet maneuvers, and coastal patrols, until being reassigned to support the US Marines sent by President Woodrow Wilson during the revolt in the Dominican Republic.
In June of that year, Lamson returned to Key West and sailed on to Vera Cruz to patrol the waters off Mexico. She returned in July, and then operated along the east coast and Gulf of Mexico until being prepared for and assigned to overseas service when the United States entered World War I. Lamson then performed escort and patrol duty in the Azores, then was assigned to escort operations out of Brest, France. In October 1917, she assisted survivors of the merchant ship Finland following a German submarine torpedo attack.
Lamson continued with escort and patrol duty to protect Allied shipping throughout World War I, and successfully helped neutralize the German U-boat threat to convoys. She departed France in December 1918, a month after the fighting ended, and arrived in Charleston, South Carolina at the end of December. In July 1919, Lamson was decommissioned and she was sold in November.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Lamson (DD-18)
The USS Lamson used asbestos in ship's boilers and engineering rooms, as well as to insulate steam pipes all through the vessel. Asbestos has long been known for its ability to insulate and provide fire resistance, but it is also been proven to be the cause of mesothelioma, a serious and nearly always terminal form of cancer. Because she was built before the dangers of asbestos were fully known, sailors aboard the Lamson would often have worked with and near dangerous asbestos products without sufficient protection from the airborne fibers that such products can release.
Navy sailors and their families may have rights to compensation if they suffered an asbestos related injury during or after their service. To find out more, please fill out the form on this page. We'll send you a free, informative packet about the dangers of asbestos, mesothelioma, advances in treatment, and your legal options.
Sources
NavSource Naval History, USS Lamson (DD-18).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/018.htm Retrieved 15 December 2010
Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-l/dd18.htm Retrieved 15 December 2010
Tin Can Sailors, USS Lamson (DD-18).
http://www.destroyers.org/DANFS/h-DD-18.htm Retrieved 15 December 2010
