USS Worden (DD-16)
The USS Worden (DD-16), served in the US Navy for much of the first two decades of the 20th century. She was named for Rear Admiral John L. Worden (1818-1897), who commanded the USS Monitor during the March 1862 battle with the CSS Virginia. Worden was one of 16 destroyers authorized by the US Congress in 1898 as part of a fleet modernization and served with distinction through the First World War.
Construction
The 433-ton Truxtun-class destroyer was laid down at Sparrows Point, Maryland in November 1899, by the Maryland Steel Company. She was launched in 1901 and put in fleet reserve in November 1902, and was then commissioned in February 1903 under the command of Lieutenant Benjamin B. McCormick.
Naval History
Worden spent her first five years in service operating along the Atlantic coast of the United States, in the Caribbean Sea, and in the Gulf of Mexico, until being assigned to the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla in Norfolk, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina. She was fully commissioned for a few months in 1909 as well as during 1912-1913 when operating on training duty with the Pennsylvania Naval Militia. Her service with the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla ended in 1914, when Worden began service with the Atlantic Fleet’s Submarine Force.
In March 1917, Worden was assigned to recruiting duty in New York. She performed this mission until early 1918 and was then sent to the European war zone in 1918 when the United States became involved in World War I. There she conducted anti-submarine patrols and escorted coastal convoys near Brest, France. She returned to the United States following the November 1918 Armistice.
In July 1919, Worden was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Stricken from the Navy list in September 1920, she was sold the following January and converted into a banana freighter. Her new owners removed much of the steam machinery inside to make room for the perishable cargo she would carry for the next 22 years.
She continued as a commercial freighter until May 1942. Her long career in military and commercial service came to an abrupt end when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-109 off the coast of Florida.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Worden (DD-16)
Asbestos was used for fire prevention and insulating purposes throughout the USS Worden. While the heaviest concentration of asbestos was found in and around the ship's boilers and engines, it was also used in mess halls and bunk rooms. Pumps and pipe fittings were also likely to contain asbestos. The abundance of asbestos containing products aboard the USS Worden make it a likely source of exposure for anyone that served aboard or serviced the ship.
Asbestos is most dangerous in its airborne form. When an asbestos containing product is damaged or moved, it can release minute particles of asbestos dust into the air. These tiny fibers are then inhaled, where they can become lodged in the mesothelium, a thin layer of cells that surrounds and buffers the body's internal organs. Over time, these fibers can lead to mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. If you or a loved one developed such a disease after serving on the USS Worden, you may have a legal right to compensation for your injury.
Sources
Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-w/dd16.htm Updated 28 January 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2010
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w11/worden-i.htm Retrieved 14 December 2010
