USS Woolsey (DD-437)
The USS Woolsey (DD-437) served in the U.S. Navy for a five short years until being decommissioned, but remained on the Navy list until 1971. She was named for both Commodore Melancthon Taylor Woolsey and his father of the same name. Woolsey was commissioned as a Gleaves-class destroyer.
Construction
Woolsey was laid down at Bath, Maine by the Bath Iron Works in October 1939, launched in February 1941, and commissioned in May with Lieutenant Commander William H. Van Dreele in command. Carrying a crew of 208, Woolsey was 348 feet, four inches long and was armed with four five-inch anti-aircraft guns, six one-half inch machine guns, and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Woolsey was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet in May 1941 and operated with the Neutrality Patrol and as a convoy escort between the United States and Iceland. During this deployment, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and Woolsey expanded escort missions to the British Isles and Puerto Rico. Woolsey joined Destroyer Squadron 13 in the invasion of North Africa during Operation Torch in October and November.
While conducting anti-submarine patrols in the Mediterranean, Woolsey and her accompanying transport were attacked by German submarines, which sank Joseph Hewes and Electra. Woolsey tracked down and sank U-173 with the help of Swanson and Quick. She then returned to the United States and conducted training operations off New England, and began trans-Atlantic escort duty in January 1943, between the east coast and Casablanca until May.
Woolsey was then deployed for duty in the Mediterranean, with the 8th Fleet, and served during the invasion of Sicily, and also supported troop landings for the invasion of Salerno in August. In September, Woolsey was assigned to routine voyages between Naples, Italy and North African ports as a supply escort. She encountered and sank German submarine U-78 in December, and captured 23 survivors.
Woolsey served with the Fire Support Group during the troop landings at Anzio, Italy, in January 1944, and conducted anti-submarine patrols off Algeria in April. Woolsey participated in the initial invasion of southern France in August, and continued duty off Italy, France, and Algeria until January 1946. After returning to the United States in February, Woolsey served convoy duty in the Atlantic and then reported to the Pacific Fleet in July. During this deployment, she escorted a troop convoy to Japan, and then was placed on reserve at Charleston, South Carolina in February 1947. Woolsey was struck from the Navy list in July 1971 and sold for scrap to Andy International, Inc., in May 1974.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Woolsey (DD-437)
Essentially every member of Woolsey’s crew was exposed to asbestos, but some jobs were more dangerous. Boilermen, engineers, shipfitters, and others who worked directly with asbestos insulation had the greatest overall exposure. Dangerous quantities of asbestos dust also affected shipyard workers and dock hands charged with maintaining and loading Woolsey. While any exposure could potentially cause serious illness, workers performing these jobs were the most likely to develop mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases.
The link between U.S. Navy ships and asbestos exposure is well established. Most Navy veterans diagnosed with asbestos cancer qualify for compensation from the companies that produced the harmful products used on their ship. Woolsey crewmen that later became ill with asbestos-related diseases can hire a mesothelioma lawyer to explain and defend their legal rights.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-437.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd437txt.htm
NavSource Naval History, USS Woolsey (DD-437).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/437.htm
