USS Wilkes (DD-441)
The USS Wilkes (DD-441) served in the U.S. Navy for half a decade in the early 20th century, but remained on the Navy list until 1971. She was named for Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes who participated in an exploring and survey mission in the Pacific and served in the Civil War. Wilkes was built as a Gleaves-class vessel.
Construction
Wilkes was laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in November 1939, launched in May 1940, and commissioned in April 1941 with Lieutenant Commander J.D. Kelsey in command. Carrying a crew of 208, Wilkes was armed with four five-inch anti-aircraft guns, six one-half inch machine guns, and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Wilkes screened North Carolina and Washington in the Caribbean in August 1941, and remained on the east coast until November before serving as an escort off Newfoundland. At the end of November, Wilkes escorted Convoy HX-162 from Newfoundland to Iceland, and continued escort duty as the United States entered World War II.
In February 1942, Wilkes grounded during poor weather conditions in Newfoundland, along with Pollux and Truxton which were lost with 205 men, and was able to back up from the beach. Wilkes was repaired at Boston and then was assigned to Task Force 21 in April 1942. During this deployment, Wilkes escorted Augusta out of Casco Bay, Maine, and collided with British oil tanker SS Davila, and once again returned to Boston for repairs until June.
Wilkes then resumed convoy duty, and while operating with Convoy AS-4, was attacked by German submarines. During this incident, SS Fairport sank, and Wilkes detected and attacked a submarine. Wilkes sailed for North Africa in October 1942 and participated in the November assault on French Morocco. Wilkes returned to the United States at the end of the month for escort and patrol duty off New York and Maine.
Wilkes spent 1943 conducting escort missions to the Panama Canal and from the northeast United States to North Africa, and proceeded to the South Pacific in January 1944. In March, she brought troops to Los Negros Island, and participated in operations at New Guinea in the summer. Wilkes also served in the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Guam, the Mariana Islands, and Japan, and continued her duty in this area throughout 1945. In December, Wilkes returned to Charleston, was decommissioned in March 1946, and sold for scrap to the Southern Scrap Material Company, Ltd., in June 1972.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Wilkes (DD-441)
Almost every compartment aboard Wilkes was contaminated with asbestos fibers. Steam conduits ran through most parts of the ship, and these were wrapped with asbestos insulation. Engineering spaces had an even higher concentration of asbestos, as boilers, engines, and generators all required abundant protection from heat and fire. As a result, engineers, machinists and boilermen often had the highest overall exposure. When Wilkes ran aground and collided with Davila, it is likely that the asbestos risk for the sailors on damage control was also increased.
The more regularly a sailor came into contact with asbestos-containing materials, the greater his chances of developing malignant mesothelioma. A great many veteran sailors have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, often decades after being discharged from service. The law allows for many of those sailors to obtain compensation for the harm caused by their maritime asbestos exposure.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-441.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd441txt.htm
NavSource Naval History, USS Wilkes (DD-441).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/441.htm
