USS Stewart (DD-13)
USS Stewart (DD-13) was a Bainbridge-class destroyer in the U.S. Navy before, during, and after World War I. She was named in honor of Rear Admiral Charles Stewart (1778-1869).
Construction
In January 1900, Stewart was laid down by the Gas Engine and Power Company at Morris Heights, New York. Launched in May, Stewart was commissioned in December 1902 with Lieutenant Frederick A. Traut in command.
Naval History
Before World War I Stewart spent a brief period at the Naval Academy before joining the Coast Squadron of the North Atlantic Fleet. Stewart was placed in reserve at Norfolk, Virginia, during 1906, recommissioned in 1907 and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, and was then later transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1908. In 1916, the Navy Department deemed the earliest destroyers, numbered 1 through 16, obsolete and classed them as “coast torpedo vessels”.
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Stewart patrolled the north Colombian coast and both the Atlantic and Pacific entrances before steaming to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be refitted for distant service.
By mid-October, Stewart was fulfilling her duties in dispatch and escort services from her base at York River along the south bank of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. By the end of 1917, Stewart had returned to Philadelphia to be refitted again for long distant service.
By February, Stewart, along with four other destroyers, arrived at Brest, France, and shortly after providing escort service working from this base. In April, Stewart rescued nine survivors when the American steamer, Florence H, exploded while anchored at Quiberon Bay, France.
Later, in the same month, Stewart spotted and attacked the German submarine U-108, which survived the assault but later surrendered at Harwich, England. Three days later, in a dense fog, Stewart collided with a merchantman ship and sustained enough damage to require a month of repairs. In August, Stewart spotted another enemy submarine but her attack on that sub proved futile.
Following World War I, Stewart ceased convoy duty and entered dry dock in Brest for repairs before sailing to Philadelphia via the Azores and Bermuda. She arrived in January 1919, where she was decommissioned the following July.
On September 15, 1919, Stewart was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and then sold in January 1920 to the Joseph G. Hitner Company for scrap.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Stewart (DD-13)
Ever since the 19th century, asbestos has been widely used in factory and construction workplaces. Because asbestos is an outstanding insulating material, it was used for insulation on the parts on board that produced heat like engines and pumps as well as in packing for valves and pumps, and in gaskets used in machinery throughout the ship.
An individual's likelihood of developing mesothelioma increases substantially if his or her job involved contact with frayed or damaged asbestos fibers. Crewmen working as engineers, machinists, gunners, and firemen were at high risk for asbestos exposure. This is because components damaged in battle or worn from age became frayed and the asbestos fibers could be easily inhaled. Legal recourse is available for individuals who have developed pleural mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure.
Sources
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s18/stewart-i.htm Retrieved 26 April 2011.
