USS Whipple (DD-15)
The USS Whipple (DD-15) was a Truxtun-class destroyer in the US Navy before and during World War I. She was named in honor of Abraham Whipple (1733-1819).
Construction
In November 1899, Whipple was laid down by the Maryland Steel Company at Sparrows Point, Maryland. She was launched in August 1901, and commissioned in February 1903, with Lieutenant Jehu V. Chase in command.
Naval History
Before World War I, Whipple operated out of Norfolk, VA, with the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla serving the east coast and Caribbean waters until September 1905, when she was placed in reserve. In 1906, Whipple was returned to active status and carried out routine tactical and training exercises and took part in relief operations after the 1907 Kingston earthquake in Jamaica.
With additional destroyers, Whipple escorted the “Great White Fleet”, consisting of 16 battleships, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, around Cape Horn, to ports in Chile and Peru, before participating in target practice at Magdalena Bay, Mexico. Whipple remained on the west coast as a unit of the Pacific Torpedo Flotilla after attending a fleet review at San Francisco, California. During August, Whipple participated in exercises in Hawaiian waters before returning to San Diego, California, in December.
Whipple spent the next six years operating off the west coast between San Diego and Mexico. She was awarded the Mexican Service Medal for duties performed during 1914 and 1916.
Shortly after the United States entered World War I, in April 1917, Whipple was dispatched to the Panama Canal to guard the approaches to this crucial site.
Following her conversion for “distant service”, Whipple steamed to the Azores and arrived by mid-September to escort ships throughout these vital islands for the next three months.
Dispatched to Brest, France, through spring of 1918, Whipple conducted anti-submarine patrols and escort service. When the munition ship, Florence H., blew up off Quiberon Bay, Whipple joined two other destroyers in rescuing 32 of the 77-man crew.
Through the duration of the war, Whipple performed her scheduled patrols until December 1918, when she departed France and sailed to Philadelphia where she arrived in January 1919.Whipple was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in July. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in September 1919. Joseph G. Hitner, of Philadelphia, purchased the ship for scrapping in January 1920.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Whipple (DD-15)
Asbestos had widespread use in many applications. As a result, asbestos fibers could be found in almost every compartment on board naval vessels. Asbestos-containing material was deployed with greater frequency in certain areas of ships such as the USS Whipple, however. In ship compartments where a high risk of fire hazard exists, such as the engineering and boiler rooms, asbestos insulation was used to fireproof pipes and equipment. Asbestos gaskets were found in machinery all over the ship, and asbestos packing could be found in valves and pumps.
Whether a crew member worked in the engineering section or in areas of Whipple with no machinery, the chances for asbestos exposure were great. One of the most risky jobs in terms of asbestos exposure was the repair of damaged asbestos material. Since exposure to asbestos is the only origin of malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis, there are often legal options for mesothelioma victims who have developed these conditions. Please fill out the form on this page to request more information.
Sources
American Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
(http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w7/whipple-i.htm) Retrieved26 April 2011.
