USS Walke (DD-34)

The USS Walke (CV-34) served in the US Navy during the second decade of the 20th century, before being assigned to the Reserve Fleet until being sold. She was named for Rear Admiral Henry A. Walke who served with the Navy during the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Walke was built as a Paulding-class ship.

Construction

The 742-ton Walke was laid down in Quincy, Massachusetts by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in March 1910, launched in November 1910, and commissioned in July 1911 with Lieutenant Charles R. Train in command. Carrying a crew of 86, Walke was armed with five three-inch rapid-fire guns and three 18-inch torpedo tubes, and powered by direct drive turbines with 17,393 horsepower.

Naval History

Walke was assigned to the 9th Division, Atlantic Torpedo Fleet in 1911, and was assigned to loading torpedoes for training, conducting battle practice, and performing combat drills. During this deployment, Walke operated along the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Cuba. Walke was placed on reserve in November 1913 at the New York Navy Yard, but retained a commanding officer and partial crew.

Walke returned to active service in July 1915 and was overhauled at the Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina in November. In May 1916, Walke supported troops and marines in the Dominican Republic and arrived at Norfolk Navy Yard in July to be overhauled once again. She entered New York Navy Yard on April 6, 1917, the same day war was declared on Germany by the United States, and sailed for European waters in May under tow by the collier USS Jupiter.

Walke served at Gironde and Brest, France, before moving to Queenstown, Ireland, where she hunted U-boats and escorted convoys in British and French ports. In November, Walke returned to the United States and was repaired in Charleston, then patrolled the waters from New York to Cape Cod, and escorted incoming and outgoing convoys at New York Harbor for the remainder of World War I.

After the war ended, Walke conducted routine exercises along the east coast with the Atlantic Fleet and, between April and July 1919, conducted torpedo practice from New York to Key West. Walke was decommissioned in December and placed on reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she was stricken from the Navy list in March 1935 and sold for scrap in April.

Asbestos Risk on the USS Walke (DD-34)

Ships like Walke made use of asbestos insulation extensively, especially in ship's boilers and engine compartments, as well as to insulate compartments all over the vessel. Sailors on this ship were likely exposed to airborne asbestos fibers, which puts them at risk for devoping diseases like mesothelioma. If you or a loved one developed asbestos cancer after serving aboard the USS Walke, fill out the form on this page for more information about your disease and your legal rights.

Sources

NavSource Naval History, USS Walke (DD-34).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/034.htm Retrieved 18 December 2010

Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-w/dd34-m.htm Retrieved 18 December 2010

Tin Can Sailors, USS Walke (DD-34), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
http://www.destroyers.org/DANFS/h-DD-34.htm Updated 1980. Retrieved 18 December 2010