USS Tarbell (DD-142)
The USS Tarbell (DD-142) served in the U.S. Navy for nearly three decades in the early 20th century. She was named for Captain Joseph Tarbell who served with the U.S. Navy in the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. Tarbell was built as a Wickes-class ship.
Construction
Tarbell was laid down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company in December 1917, launched in May 1918, and commissioned in November with Commander Halsey Powell in command. Carrying a crew of 103, Tarbell was 314 feet, five inches long and was armed with four 4-inch rapid-fire guns, two anti-aircraft guns, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Tarbell began operations on the east coast of the United States, and was then assigned to the Pacific fleet in September 1919. In February 1920, Tarbell moved from San Francisco to the Philippines and joined the Asiatic Fleet until the summer of 1921, and was decommissioned at San Diego, California in June 1922. Tarbell was reactivated in May 1930 and moved to Charleston, South Carolina in January 1931, assigned to Destroyer Division 3 of the Scouting Force, and then moved back to San Diego before being decommissioned at Philadelphia in late 1936.
Tarbell was re-commissioned in October 1939 as war broke out in Europe, with Lieutenant Commander Edward W. Rawlins in command, and was assigned to the Neutrality Patrol until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She was assigned to escort convoys and conducted anti-submarine operations in the Atlantic. In March 1942, Tarbell rescued survivors of the tanker SS Dixie Arrow which was torpedoed off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Tarbell also conducted rescue missions for the SS Lammont bapont, Blakeley, SS Alegrete, and SS M.F. Elliot.
In May 1943, Tarbell began screening trans-Atlantic convoys and escorted convoy UGS-9 to Casablanca in June and continued this duty until November. In December, Tarbell operated with Destroyer Division 61 to deliver convoy UGS 28 to North Africa, and then served with a hunter/killer group near the Azores. During this deployment, Tarbell towed the collision-damaged Lea to Bermuda.
Tarbell operated at Norfolk, Virgina and Boston, Massachusetts in February, and then was assigned to the Air Force, Atlantic Fleet to conduct training operations of air crew near Provincetown, Massachusetts. She operated as a carrier escort and target ship from April until July 1945, and decommissioned at Philadelphia. Tarbell was struck from the Navy list in August and sold for scrap to the Boston Metal Salvage Company in November.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Tarbell (DD-142)
Because of the large number of available applications, asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were found in virtually every corridor and compartment aboard a ship. Asbestos-containing insulation was used in larger amounts in particular areas of ships like the Tarbell, however, such as those that housed steam boilers, bilge pumps, and engines.
Crewmen whose specialties resulted in more frequent exposure to damaged asbestos products had an increased chance of developing malignant mesothelioma later in life. Boilermen, engineers, machinists, and even gunners were at especially high risk. Because broken asbestos-containing material creates dust particles that are breathed in easily, working at a dockyard meant much more significant danger, particularly for boilermakers and pipefitters.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-142.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd142txt.htm
NavSource Naval History, USS Tarbell (DD-142).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/142.htm
