The USS Purdy (DD-734) was an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer that entered service during World War II and served with distinction through the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Designed to protect other Naval vessels and carry out submarine warfare operations, the ship was known for its versatility, adaptability, and advanced radar system. Like most other Navy ships built between the 1930s and 1980s, its construction included a significant amount of asbestos, which was later connected to many U.S. Navy veterans and shipyard workers being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.
About the USS Purdy (DD-734)
The USS Purdy DD-734 was one of 245 military ships built by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Construction began in late 1943, a time when the shipyard used asbestos in hundreds of shipboard components. The ship was named for Lt. Comdr. Frederick Warren Purdy, who died a hero in July 1942 while serving aboard the USS Strong during the campaign for Munda. The USS Purdy was sponsored by his widow and commissioned in July 1944.[1]
The Purdy was outfitted with state-of-the-art radar equipment that made it integral to the Navy’s ability to detect and track enemy aircraft and vessels.[2] That technology, combined with its speed and firepower, played a role in the ship, having been commended with the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon awarded by the Secretary of the Navy in April 1945. The award came after the ship’s crew displayed “outstanding heroism” as a Support Destroyer on Radar Picket Station Number One during an attack by enemy Japanese aerial forces fifty miles from the Okinawa Transport area. The Purdy fought off thirty hostile aircraft, downing five enemy planes and assisting in destroying at least two others. When the fighter direction ship was struck by a Kamikaze jet, the crew of the Purdy assumed emergency control of the combat air patrol and continued until she, too, was hit by a Kamikaze.[3]
The Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers, of which Purdy was one, had a range of 6,000 nautical miles at a speed of 34 knots, propelled by either four Babcock & Wilcox or Foster Wheeler boilers and two General Electric or Westinghouse geared steam turbines. All of this equipment was known to have contained asbestos-containing parts and insulation, as well as asbestos gaskets and valves, putting those who worked in the ship’s engine and boiler rooms at significant risk of asbestos exposure. The vessel was 376 feet long, displaced 3,315 tons at capacity, and had a complement of 345.[1]
The USS Purdy’s Service
The USS Purdy sailed for Okinawa in 1945 and served as a radar picket station. After being struck by a Kamikaze flyer that pierced her plating and killed 15 crew members, she sailed to Kerama Retto for temporary repairs, then returned to San Francisco. Following repairs and training, she sailed to Hawaii and then to Japan, where she spent the next four months serving as a harbor control vessel, transporting passengers and mail and performing medical and guard duty. In early 1946, she returned to San Diego, then relocated to Maine and then to the Boston Navy Yard for an overhaul before returning to her homeport in Newport, Rhode Island.[1]
After maneuvers in the Caribbean, she began her first Mediterranean tour in 1947 and spent the next few years traversing the ocean between Newport, European waters, and New Orleans, where she conducted naval reserve training cruises until 1951. She was then redeployed to the Mediterranean before being sent back to the Pacific off the coast of Korea, where she provided fire support for minesweeping operations and antisubmarine training exercises off of Okinawa before returning to Korean waters and sailing with the fast carrier force.[1]
After being relieved of Korean duty, the Purdy returned home via the Suez Canal. She then conducted exercises in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean before returning to the Pacific for escort duty and patrol operations.[1]
During the Cold War, the Purdy was the first ship to receive an Atomic Biological Chemical (ABC) washdown system, a specialized sprinkler system designed to rapidly spray a decontamination solution over the ship’s deck or exterior to remove potential contamination from chemical and biological, or radiological agents. She was used for midshipmen summer training cruises in Chile and Europe during the 1950s and as part of the recovery forces for Project Mercury in the spring of 1961. She was homeported in Massachusetts in 1970 and decommissioned in 1973, after which she was sold for scrap in 1974.[1]
How Was Asbestos Used on the USS Purdy?
Before the world learned that asbestos causes cancer, the mineral was extremely popular and used for a wide range of applications because of its characteristic strength, durability, and protection from flame and heat. This was especially true of the U.S. military, which specified extensive use of the material in the construction of its ships, its military housing and buildings, and other assets. In the run-up to the American entry to World War II, the country invested in the construction of hundreds of Navy vessels, and the asbestos suppliers and manufacturers were happy to fulfill military contracts that included the use of the inexpensive, widely available material.
Like other Navy ships, the USS Purdy was contaminated with asbestos insulation throughout the ship’s walls and ceilings, and many of the ship’s components, including the gaskets, packings, fireproofing material, and ropes, incorporated the carcinogenic material. Bath Iron Works, which built the Purdy, is notorious for its use of asbestos in the following ship parts:
- Boilers
- Gaskets
- Packing
- Insulation
- Pipe coverings
- Pumps
- Turbines
- Fireproofing material
- Flooring
- Adhesives
- Ropes and fabrics
- Fire protection gear
Who Was at Most Risk for Asbestos Exposure Onboard the USS Purdy?
Asbestos exposure is unpredictable in its impact on the human body. Some people who are heavily exposed never suffer any consequences, while others who have only intermittent, secondary exposure end up developing malignant mesothelioma or other diseases. While those who were exposed most directly, in shipboard environments like engine rooms and boiler rooms, are at the greatest risk for being diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, and anybody onboard or who worked on building, repairing, or maintaining the Purdy, was put at risk.
- Arnold Pritt, a Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Purdy between December 1961 and August 1964, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and filed suit against John Crane, Inc., accusing the company of negligence in using asbestos in the gaskets and other parts that it provided for shipboard use.
Compensation for Those Exposed to Asbestos on the Purdy
If you are a Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Purdy DD-734, there’s a good chance you were exposed to asbestos during the time you served. Even if you’re feeling fine, it’s still a good idea to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer, as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. Letting your physician or healthcare provider know about your asbestos exposure history is also important: the more they know, the more diligent they can be in monitoring your health appropriately, making a quicker diagnosis, and beginning treatment.
If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease like malignant mesothelioma, you may qualify for benefits from the Veterans Administration (VA). The VA offers several forms of support and compensation for disabled Navy veterans, including:
- Access to Specialized Medical Care: Veterans with asbestos-related illnesses can receive free care at VA medical centers, including those specializing in malignant mesothelioma treatment. You may also be granted approval to be treated at non-VA specialty centers.
- Disability Compensation: Mesothelioma carries a 100% disability rating from the VA. This means that veterans diagnosed with this rare, asbestos-related disease who can show that they were exposed during their time of service are entitled to maximum disability compensation.
An experienced asbestos lawyer can help you navigate the complexity of applying for VA benefits, as well as advise you of your ability to seek compensation through the civil litigation system. Though veterans can’t sue the government over their asbestos exposure, they can seek justice from the asbestos companies that knew of asbestos’ dangers but who chose their profits over the health of the people using their products. Your options include filing a personal injury lawsuit against these businesses – many times, these actions lead to substantial settlement agreements before they ever go to court. You may also be able to file a claim against the asbestos trust funds established by asbestos companies that were forced into bankruptcy by their asbestos liabilities.
For more information on what to expect from the legal process and for help seeking compensation for the harm you’ve suffered, contact an experienced mesothelioma attorney today.
References
View All References
