USS McKee (DD-87)

The USS McKee (DD-87) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the U.S. Navy during the World War I. McKee was the second ship named for Hugh W. McKee (1844-1871), an American naval officer.

Construction

In October 1917, McKee was laid down in San Francisco, California by Union Iron Works. The completed vessel was launched five months later in March 1918. McKee was commissioned under the command of Lieutenant Commander W.H. Lee the following September.

Naval History

In September 1918, McKee put out from Mare Island near San Francisco after undergoing a west coast shakedown. McKee passed through the Panama Canal and then joined forces with Destroyer Flotilla 5 at New York toward the end of October. Short excursions along the coast were the norm during the late phase of World War I. Accordingly, these short trips preceded her embarkation from Hampton Roads as convey escort. In November 1918, McKee arrived at her destination, the Azores, and was dispensed to a returning convoy and entered New York Harbor in December. From late January to April, McKee participated in fleet exercises from the port at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. To keep her crew sharp, McKee made a number of voyages from Key West, Florida to Halifax, Nova Scotia before reporting to Portsmouth, NH, at which time she was placed in reduced commission.

In July 1921, McKee was based at Newport, Rhode Island, and then later sailed to Charleston, South Carolina. In the aftermath of the Washington Disarmament Conference, McKee reported to Philadelphia, arriving in April. McKee was decommissioned in June 1922. She was struck from the Navy list in January 1936 and sold to Boston Iron & Metal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, for scrapping.

Asbestos Risk on the USS McKee (DD-87)

Because asbestos could be used in so many products, its dangerous fibers could be found throughout naval vessels. Asbestos contamination was most common in compartments containing machinery, engines, and boilers. It was also used to make gaskets and to pack valves and pumps. Because McKee was built before fire safety regulations increased the Navy’s reliance on asbestos, the risk on board was less than it was in ships built just a few years later. Even so, some World War I Navy veterans suffered from diseases caused by asbestos. If you or a loved one developed mesothelioma after serving aboard McKee, the ship’s asbestos may have contributed to your disease.

Sources

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m7/mckee-ii.htm

NavSource Naval History.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/087.htm

Silverstone, Paul H. (1968). U.S. Warships of World War II. Doubleday and Company.