USS Macdonough (DD-9)
The USS Macdonough (DD-9) was a Bainbridge-class destroyer in the U.S. Navy and the first ship named in honor of Commodore Thomas Macdonough (1783-1825).
Construction
In April of 1899, Macdonough was laid down at Weymouth, Massachusetts, by the Fore River & Engine Co. The completed vessel was launched in December of the following year and commissioned in September 1903, under the command of Lieutenant Charles S. Bookwalter.
Naval History
Following her shakedown, Macdonough served as a training ship for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Macdonough joined the Coast Squadron of the North Atlantic Fleet in May 1904, and spent the next three years operating along the eastern seaboard and in Caribbean waters. In 1907, Macdonough was dispatched to Norfolk, Virginia, where she sailed with the Reserve Torpedo Fleet.
In November 1908, Macdonough became the flagship of the 3rd Torpedo Flotilla and steamed for Pensacola, Florida. Typically, the flagship leads the convoy as the fastest, largest, and most heavily armed, and therefore the most formidable ship of the fleet.
In 1909, she cruised off New England with the Atlantic Torpedo Squadron before sailing to the Gulf of Mexico and then heading up the Mississippi River for the St. Louis Centennial celebration.
In December, Macdonough sailed to Charleston, South Carolina, where she participated in exercises during the summer of 1910. She remained there until 1913, when she spent two consecutive summers performing cruises with the Massachusetts Naval Militia.
After the outbreak of World War I, Macdonough was dispatched to the Submarine Flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet where she remained for the next 2 years. From January 1915 until early 1917, Macdonough participated in submarine maneuvers and exercises from Pensacola, Florida to Newport, Rhode Island.
In March of 1917, Macdonough embarked on a Mississippi River recruiting cruise before returning to Charleston, South Carolina, where she joined the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer Force in June. There, she performed escort duty along the east coast through the end of the year.
Macdonough sailed from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in January 1918, arriving at Best, France, in February where she performed escort duty and patrolled the coast of France until May 1919.
She returned to Philadelphia in June where she was decommissioned in September. On 7 November 1919, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. In March 1920, she was sold as scrap.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Macdonough (DD-9)
Macdonough likely contained asbestos in her engineering spaces. The mineral may have also been deployed as fireproofing in the galley and other fire-prone areas. Because she was built before fire safety regulations ramped up asbestos usage, it’s difficult to gauge exactly how great the risk of exposure was. It is safe to say that if your loved one served aboard Macdonough and suffered from mesothelioma, maritime asbestos exposure may have contributed to his illness.
Sources
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m1/macdonough-i.htm
