USS Luce (DD-99)

The USS Luce (DD-99) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the U.S. Navy during World War I and continued her service through January 1936. In the early 20th century Congress authorized construction of fifty destroyers, but the intensity of Germany’s U-Boat campaign during World War I resulted in one hundred eleven destroyers being built. Luce was named in honor of Stephen B. Luce (1827-1917), an admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Construction

In February 1918, Luce was laid down at Quincy, MA, by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company. Completed in just under five months, Luce was launched in June 1918, and commissioned the following September under the command of Lieutenant Commander R. C. Parker.

Naval History

Luce sailed from Boston and two days later reported to the Commander Cruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet, in New York for her first assignment. Luce escorted Troop Convoy 67 to France in September. In October, Luce was separated from the convoy and sailed to Gibraltar, from which she carried out escort and patrol duty in the Mediterranean for the remainder of the war.

In November 1918 Luce left for the Adriatic where she spent five months patrolling in collaboration with the Food Commission. She returned to Gibraltar in late June after sailing through the Aegean and Black Seas. In July, Luce arrived in New York Harbor before continuing on to Boston for an overhaul.

Luce was transferred to Reserve Squadron 1, Atlantic Fleet in the end of October 1919, and in March of the following year she was reclassified a Light Mine Layer (DM-4). She departed Boston in April and sailed to Newport, RI then served with the destroyer force until early July at which time she joined up with Mine Squadron 1 out of Gloucester and participated in maneuvers through October 1921. Following a cruise to the Caribbean in January 1922, Luce was decommissioned after arriving in Philadelphia in June.

Recommissioned in March 1930, Luce sailed to Panama in April and operated with submarines of the Canal Zone Control Force through May. In June, Luce returned to the eastern seaboard and trained with Mine Squadron 1 before putting out for Boston where she was again decommissioned on 31 January 1931. Luce was sold to the Schiavone-Bonomo Corporation, New York in September and scrapped in November 1936.

Asbestos Risk on the USS Luce (DD-99)

Crewmen and dockworkers that labored on Luce were exposed to asbestos more or less continually. The incidence of mesothelioma is strongly associated with the overall level of exposure and the total time of exposure. Sailors working daily with damaged engine machinery over an extensive period have a much higher risk of developing mesothelioma than sailors who had a low level of exposure over a similar time frame, or a high level of exposure in a brief time frame. However, no level of asbestos exposure has been shown to be safe, and even individuals with relatively low levels of asbestos exposure have developed mesothelioma and related conditions.

There is no cure for mesothelioma, although researchers like Dr. David Sugarbaker are always searching for new treatment methods. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnosis and is often not discovered until the disease has reached an advanced stage of progression. However, treatment can extend life span and increase patient comfort, and there is always hope – there are clinical trials for new treatments and many specialists who have become expert at treating mesothelioma patients. While median survival times for mesothelioma are low, some patients have lived for years or even decades following a diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Sources

Stephen B. Luce Library
http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/LuceHistory.htm

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. USS Luce (DD-99).
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/l33/luce-i.htm