USS Terry (DD-25)
The USS Terry (DD-25) served in the US Navy and then the US Coast Guard during the second two decades of the 20th century. She was named for Edward Terry, a lieutenant commander during the Civil War who led various engagements against the Confederacy. Terry was built as a Paulding-class ship.
Construction
The 742-ton Terry was laid down in February 1909 at Newport News, Virginia, launched in August 1909, and commissioned in October 1910, with Lieutenant Commander Martin E. Trench in command. She was 293 feet, 10 inches long, carried a crew of 86, and was armed with five three-inch guns and three 18-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Terry was assigned to routine exercises and operations along the east coast of the United States and Caribbean, and served in the Atlantic Fleet Torpedo Flotilla for winter operations held in the waters around Cuba. During this deployment, Terry conducted torpedo exercises and participated in general fleet maneuvers. She was overhauled at Charleston, South Carolina in November 1913, and placed in reserve although remained active.
In January 1916, Terry was operating with a reduced compliment destroyer division, and struck a reef in the inner harbor of Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo. Much of her main deck was submerged, but Terry was salvaged by her crew and the staff of a wrecking company. She spent the next year being repaired at the Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina.
Upon completion of repairs, Terry began patrol duty along the Atlantic coast, and escorted merchantmen en-route to Europe when the United States entered World War I. Terry was assigned with the destroyer force in Queenstown, Ireland in January 1918 and protected convoys from German submarines around the British Isles. She escorted a convoy that lost a ship in a submarine attack, and in March 1918, assisted Manley following casualties from an accidental depth charge explosion.
Terry returned to the United States in December 1918 under limited service, and in November 1919, was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Pennsylvania. She was transferred to the Coast Guard in June 1924 under the designation USCGC Terry (cg-19), and assigned to patrols against liquor smuggling.
Terry was restored on the Navy list in October 1930 with the intention of disposal, and was sold in May 1934 for scrap. In June, her name was struck from the Navy list.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Terry (DD-25)
The USS Terry is likely to have used asbestos insulation and fire-proofing throughout the vessel. Sailors, shipwrights, and mechanics that served on or serviced this ship face a significant risk for exposure to this dangerous mineral. The risk is greatest when handling damaged and worn asbestos products, as they can easily loose invisible asbestos fibers into the air. Once inhaled, these fibers settle into the mesothelium, a thin lining of cells that surrounds many of the body's internal organs. Over the course of many years, these fibers can cause scars and tissue damage. The most severe asbestos injury is called mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer. Mesothelioma is most often diagnosed in the lungs, stomach, and heart.
Because there is a long latency period between exposure and symptoms presenting, it can be difficult to determine all the places a victim of the disease enountered asbestos. However, service aboard older navy ships is a known culprit. If you or a loved one served on or serviced the USS Terry, you may have a legal right to compensation. Please complete the form on this page to receive our free information kit about the disease, treatment options, and your rights.
Sources
NavSource Naval History, USS Terry (DD-25).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/025.htm Retrieved 17 December 2010
Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-t/dd25.htm Retrieved 17 December 2010
Tin Can Sailors, USS Terry (DD-25), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.destroyers.org/DANFS/h-DD-25.htm Updated 1963. Retrieved 17 December 2010
