USS Renshaw (DD-176)
USS Renshaw (DD-176) was one of 111 Wickes-class destroyers to be built for the US Navy after World War I. She was one of three naval vessels to be named in honor of William B. Renshaw, an officer in the US Navy during the American Civil War.
Construction
Renshaw was laid down by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California on May 8, 1918. Sponsored by Mrs. Frank Johnson, Renshaw was launched on September 21, 1918. Lieutenant Commander R.A. Hall took command of Renshaw on July 21, 1919.
As was the case with all Wickes-class destroyers, Renshaw was outfitted with four stacks and a flush deck. The flush deck design used with the class provided the ships with the strength that was necessary to allow them to reach the required top speed of 35 knots. Renshaw also featured four 4-inch/50 caliber naval guns and twelve 12-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Following commissioning, Renshaw was assigned to the Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet, which she joined in Monterey Bay. On September 16, Renshaw departed for her base of operations in San Diego. After arriving four days later, she engaged in routine target practice and engineering competitions. She also performed patrols, engaged in dispatch duty, transported prisoners and participated in exercises off of the California coast. In her short career, Renshaw only made one training cruise, which was with naval reservists out of Portland, Oregon.
In March and April of 1920, Renshaw cruised to Hawaii with Destroyer Flotilla 11. Here, her duty was to conduct a reconnaissance of the islands in order to assist with plans for establishing an operating base there. Eight months later, Renshaw sailed to the Puget Sound Navy Yard to undergo an overhaul. She returned to base and rejoined the Destroyer Force on April 8.
In January 1922, Renshaw joined the 12th Naval District before returning to San Diego later that month. Aside from a brief trip to San Pedro in February, she remained moored in San Diego until she was decommissioned on May 27, 1922. In accordance with the London Naval Treaty, which called for the reduction and limitation of naval armaments, Renshaw was disposed of in 1936. She was removed from the Navy list on May 19, 1936 and sold to Schiavone Bonomo Corporation on September 29. Renshaw was reduced to a hulk on December 2 of that same year.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Renshaw (DD-176)
Installing asbestos fireproofing in the construction of marine vessels was mandated by the US Congress in the early 1930s, after a fire at sea on a cruise ship killed more than 100 people. Renshaw, like most Navy ships at the time, used asbestos in large quantities in engines and engineering spaces, and to insulate steam pipes in the other sections of the ship.
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Sources
Renshaw. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center. (http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r4/renshaw-ii.htm) Retrieved 20 December 2010
