The USS Keppler (DD/DDE-765) was a Gearing-class destroyer that participated in critical international conflicts, including the Korean War and Vietnam War, as well as fulfilling vital peacetime roles. Built in the days before asbestos was known to be carcinogenic, the Keppler incorporated substantial quantities of the toxic material, leading to devastating health consequences for her former crew members. Many Navy veterans, as well as shipyard workers who worked on the ship, have been afflicted by malignant mesothelioma and other serious conditions. Others may still be at risk.
About the USS Keppler
The USS Keppler (DD/DDE-765) participated in anti-submarine warfare training, NATO exercises, and freedom-of-navigation operations, as well as being deployed on combat missions to the Korean War and Vietnam War. Between these assignments, the ship remained at her East Coast homeport of Newport, Rhode Island.[1]
Commissioned after World War II had ended, the Keppler was one of 98 Gearing-class ships that represented years of refinements and improvements in the Navy’s destroyers. Compared to earlier models, the Gearings benefited from extended hulls that facilitated extended range and maneuverability as well as better internal compartmentalization and weapons technologies. Throughout her years of service, the Keppler underwent multiple modifications that allowed her to respond to the Cold War’s changing threats, particularly adding anti-submarine warfare capabilities to guard against Soviet forces.[2]
Construction and Modifications of the USS Keppler
The USS Keppler was laid down in April 1944 and built by Bethlehem Steel Company’s Shipbuilding Division in San Francisco, California, culminating in her launching ceremony on June 24, 1946. The ship was 390 feet 6 inches long with a beam of 40 feet 10 inches. She displaced 3,460 tons when fully loaded and could accommodate a crew of 336 officers and enlisted men. Her propulsion system included General Electric geared turbines and delivered 60,000 shaft horsepower to drive two screws, allowing a top speed of 36.8 knots and a range of 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots.[3]
The ship was named for John Richard Keppler, an American naval hero posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary valor while serving aboard USS San Francisco during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Despite suffering mortal wounds during Japanese air attacks, Keppler demonstrated remained at his battle station and continued critical damage control efforts that helped save his vessel from destruction. His widow, Mrs. Elizabeth L. Keppler, served as the ship’s official sponsor.[3]
The Keppler underwent several significant modernization programs through the years. The goal of these upgrades was to adapt her to address evolving naval warfare requirements. In 1949, she was transformed at San Francisco Naval Shipyard into a specialized anti-submarine warfare platform with enhanced detection systems and weapons delivery capabilities against underwater threats. In 1961, she entered New York Naval Shipyard for a comprehensive Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM II) overhaul: FRAM was a program specifically designed to extend the operational lifespans of post-World War II destroyers. During each of these upgrade projects and through every maintenance and repair stop that the vessel made, shipyard workers and the personnel working on her interior were at risk of asbestos exposure, whether from components and equipment being installed or the release of asbestos from welding and other maintenance activities.
Operational Timeline for the USS Keppler
Following her initial West Coast shakedown, the USS Keppler was sent on her first major deployment in October 1947. She conducted training exercises off the coast of Hawaii and then continued on to Australia and China. The ship returned to San Diego in May 1948 and underwent anti-submarine warfare conversion in early 1949. Upon completing this specialized modification, she transferred to Atlantic Fleet operations, arriving at Norfolk in October 1949 before being sent to her new homeport at Newport, Rhode Island, in November.[3]
Growing hostilities in Korea resulted in the USS Keppler being reassigned from Mediterranean operations to Far East combat zones in July 1950. After crossing the Indian Ocean, she joined Seventh Fleet forces in August to assume Formosa Strait patrol duties. From November 1950 through February 1951, she provided screening protection for the carrier USS Philippine Sea during air strike operations against Communist positions.
Between 1952 and 1957, the Keppler alternated between Atlantic Coast anti-submarine warfare exercises, Caribbean training operations, NATO multinational exercises, and Mediterranean deployments. In January 1957, she was sent on a goodwill cruise to South American nations, visiting ports in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Panama before returning to Newport in March. Later that year, she deployed to Mediterranean waters, ultimately transiting the Suez Canal to reinforce the American naval presence in the Red Sea when Communist influence threatened stability in Syria and Jordan.
The ship’s strategic importance was made clear during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Following President Kennedy’s quarantine declaration, the Keppler immediately deployed to Caribbean patrol sectors, successfully tracking a surfaced Soviet submarine for seven consecutive days in November, maintaining surveillance until the vessel reversed course.
The Keppler also served in the Vietnam War. In October 1966, she departed Newport for a Far East deployment via the Panama Canal. When she arrived in the Gulf of Tonkin, she initially conducted plane guard operations but then transitioned to naval gunfire support missions assisting allied ground forces in South Vietnam. While participating in Operation “Sea Dragon,” she successfully blocked enemy maritime infiltration routes, destroying or damaging 51 Communist watercraft in January and February 1967 alone. Despite sustaining damage when the enemy scored a direct hit on one of her gun mounts, she maintained operational status until her combat deployment ended, returning to Newport via the Indian Ocean, Suez Canal, and Mediterranean in May 1967 and resuming operations along the East Coast. In 1970, the ship was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and assigned to Pearl Harbor as her home base. She was decommissioned in July 1972 and sold to Turkey.[3]
Where Was Asbestos Found in the USS Keppler?
Like almost every Navy ship built between the 1930s and 1970s, the USS Keppler used extensive amounts of asbestos throughout her construction, and particularly within the areas where high levels of heat were generated. Compartments like the boiler room and engine rooms required thermal insulation and fire protection, and the Navy specified these materials for their exceptional heat resistance, sound-dampening properties, and electrical insulation characteristics. Though the military was unaware of the dangers posed by asbestos, the same cannot be said for the companies that manufactured and supplied the dangerous products. Those companies chose to ignore, and sometimes suppress, the growing body of evidence about the health hazards of asbestos so they could continue earning sizable profits.
Asbestos contamination was found in multiple areas and systems of the USS Keppler, including:
• Propulsion Equipment: Main engineering spaces contained significant concentrations of asbestos that insulated steam turbines, boilers, pumps, and other high-temperature components essential for the vessel’s operation.
• Damage Control Systems: Firefighting equipment, thermal barriers, and emergency response gear all incorporated asbestos-containing materials that enhanced their effectiveness, strength, and fire resistance during combat damage or shipboard emergencies.
• Utility Infrastructure: Miles of steam pipes, exhaust ducts, and electrical conduits throughout the vessel were wrapped and insulated with asbestos materials.
• Living Quarters: The ship’s interior components, including crew sleeping, eating, and working spaces, also incorporated asbestos, which could be found in floor and ceiling tiles, bulkhead insulation, and acoustic dampening applications.
How Asbestos on the USS Kessler Affected Navy Veterans
Military personnel serving aboard the USS Keppler throughout her operational lifespan experienced significant and sustained asbestos exposure, whether involved in routine shipboard activities or working in the heavily contaminated areas like engine rooms. The hazardous material could be found in virtually every part of the vessel, with airborne exposure at its worst for those who conducted maintenance, during combat operations that led to heavy ship vibration, and engineering activities that disturbed installed materials. Once inhaled, asbestos’s microscopic fibers can become deeply embedded in tissues, penetrating cells to the point where the body cannot expel them. This is the start of the progressive inflammatory response and cellular damage that leads to the development of mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and various other respiratory disorders. This biological process frequently remains undetected for years, as decades can go by before it starts to manifest symptoms. Often, the disease is too far advanced for treatments to offer much benefit.
While all of the USS Keppler’s crew members were exposed to asbestos and had the potential for developing asbestos-related diseases, certain shipboard duties involved elevated risk levels. Engineering personnel who maintained the propulsion systems, damage control teams who conducted emergency repairs, and maintenance specialists who performed routine service suffered the greatest exposures, made worse by the fact that the areas they were working in were poorly ventilated. Deteriorating asbestos materials and extended deployments maximized exposure duration for these crew members and increased their health risks.
Compensation and Support for Veterans with Mesothelioma
Former crew members of the USS Keppler, as well as shipyard personnel who worked on her various conversions or repairs, may have experienced significant asbestos exposure. Though you may feel well today, asbestos-related diseases have latency periods that can delay symptoms for decades, so you’re advised to let your physician know about your history of asbestos exposure. If you’re a veteran and you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition, you may qualify for the specialized benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has developed programs specifically focused on illnesses caused by service-time exposure to asbestos, and those who successfully prove both their service-time exposure and its link to their disability are eligible for comprehensive benefits.
Successfully navigating the VA claims process can be a challenge, but it can lead to coverage for specialized medical treatment at either VA healthcare facilities or at authorized civilian treatment centers with expertise in managing asbestos-related disease. VA disability determinations typically classify mesothelioma and similar conditions at a 100% disability rating, which maximizes compensation.
Beyond government programs, affected service members also have the right to pursue compensation directly from the companies that manufactured and supplied asbestos products to the military. Filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit can result in substantial settlements or jury verdicts for knowingly distributing hazardous materials without giving appropriate warnings. Additionally, many of the manufacturers responsible for asbestos exposure on board Navy vessels were forced to create well-funded bankruptcy trusts specifically to compensate exposure victims.
If you are a USS Keppler veteran and you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, an asbestos attorney can be your most valuable resource to help you navigate the road ahead. These legal professionals can evaluate your service and occupational history to determine where and when you were exposed, identify who the responsible manufacturing companies are, and represent you in all legal proceedings to maximize the compensation you receive, no matter which option you pursue. They can also help you navigate the challenging VA benefit applications process.
