USS Worden (DD-352)
The USS Worden (DD-352) served in the U.S. Navy for less than a decade in the early 20th century. She was named for Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden, a naval officer during the Civil War. Worden was laid down as a Farragut-class destroyer.
Construction
Laid down by the Puget Sound Navy Yard in December 1932, Worden was launched in October 1934 and commissioned in January 1935 with Commander Robert E. Kerr in command. Carrying a crew of 160, Worden was armed with five 5-inch anti-aircraft guns, four one-half inch machine guns, and eight 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Naval History
Worden cruised the west coast in April 1935, and then sailed to Washington D.C. and carried the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations and a Congressional party to Mount Vernon. Following modifications and repairs, Worden returned to the west coast in August and participated in routine fleet operations from Alaska to Peru, in the Caribbean, and Hawaii.
Worden was assigned to a force of vessels in the Hawaiian Detachment for Neutrality Patrol once World War II began in Europe. From October 1939 on, Worden was based in the Hawaiian Islands and was berthed in Pearl Harbor during the December 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese. Worden was not damaged and was at sea within two hours of the attack, and joined a task force around Detroit to conduct submarine patrols. She served patrol and escort duty in the Hawaiian Islands until February 1942.
In February, Worden escorted two vessels to New Caledonia, and escorted Tippecanoe to Noumea while the Battle of the Coral Sea was underway. Worden operated as a screen for aircraft carriers Enterprise and Hornet during the Battle of Midway, and escorted Saratoga to Midway after returning to Pearl Harbor in June 1942. While en route to the South Pacific with the Saratoga task force in July, Worden rescued survivors of Army transport Tjinegara that was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine near Noumea.
Worden operated with Saratoga during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and screened the carrier on its return to Pearl Harbor in September. She then returned to the west coast and operated as a screening vessel, and supported the occupation of Amchitka Island, Alaska at the end of 1942. After guarding transport Arthur Middleton, Worden was swept by waves onto the rocks at Constantine Harbor and abandoned. The seas broke up the ship and 14 crew members lost their lives. Worden was struck from the Navy list in December 1944.
Asbestos Risk on the USS Worden (DD-352)
Worden used asbestos products as an insulating material for her boilers, pipes, and heavy equipment. Asbestos insulation was also found in engineering sections and most other areas containing machinery. The mineral was packed into pumps and valves, woven into asbestos rope, and mixed into paints.
Although nearly everyone on the ship was exposed to asbestos at one level or another, crewmen working on the engines and turbines were most frequently exposed. Daily exposure to asbestos over a long period of time creates a higher risk for asbestos cancer than lower levels of exposure over the same time frame, or a brief, concentrated exposure. Most sailors injured by asbestos while at sea have legal options for obtaining compensation.
Sources
Haze Gray & Underway. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. DD-352.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd352txt.htm
NavSource Naval History, USS Worden (DD-352).
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/352.htm
