USS Holder (DD-819) and Asbestos

The Navy destroyer USS Holder (DD-819) served the United States for over thirty years, participating in operations surrounding the Cold War and interventions in the Middle East. Like almost all ships constructed in the mid-20th century, the Holder was built with asbestos, a material that is recognized today as a highly toxic carcinogen. Many of the veterans who served aboard the Holder have since been diagnosed with serious health challenges, including mesothelioma, and others are still at risk. 

About the USS Holder 

The USS Holder was a Gearing-class destroyer assigned the designation DD-819, though she went through several reclassifications over her lifetime in response to evolving technological advancements and naval needs. She spent several years as a destroyer escort under the designation DDR-819 and later underwent modernization upgrades that enhanced her combat abilities. 

The Gearing-class destroyers represented a significant improvement over the Allen M. Sumner and Fletcher destroyer classes that preceded them: The 14 feet in length added to the ships’ hulls provided significant additional range and facilitated greater sustained speeds, making the vessels far more useful for faraway missions.[1]

The Holder displaced 2,425 tons standard, measured 390 feet 6 inches in length, had a beam of 41 feet 1 inch, and a draft of 18 feet 6 inches. Her propulsion system, powered by Babcock & Wilcox boilers and General Electric turbines, achieved speeds of 35 knots. She maintained a complement of 367 officers and enlisted personnel and was equipped with an armament configuration that included six 5-inch guns, five 21-inch torpedo tubes, six depth charge projectors, and two depth charge tracks.[2]

The USS Holder’s Namesake

The USS Holder was named in honor of Lieutenant (junior grade) Randolph Mitchell Holder, a naval aviator born in 1918 in Jackson, Mississippi. After completing flight training, he was commissioned as an Ensign on April 10, 1940, and subsequently reported to Torpedo Squadron 6 aboard the famed aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.[2]

Lieutenant Holder participated in early carrier operations following Pearl Harbor and distinguished himself during the Battle of Midway, the first major American victory in the Pacific War. During the torpedo plane assault, Holder and his squadron attacked the Japanese fleet without the benefit of a fighter escort, and he and many others were shot down while pressing their attack. Their actions forced the Japanese ships to take evasive maneuvers and diverted Japanese air cover, allowing subsequent strikes to severely damage the enemy fleet. Presumed killed in action, Lieutenant (J.G.) Holder was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism.

Construction of the USS Holder

The USS Holder (DD-819) was constructed by Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas, in August 1945. And sponsored by Mrs. Annette Holder, mother of the ship’s namesake. Commander B.K. Atkins assumed command when the ship was commissioned in May 1946.[2]

In the 1940s, when the Holder was built, shipbuilders made extensive use of asbestos-containing materials, and much of the equipment and infrastructure installed throughout the ships were insulated with the toxic mineral because of its many beneficial characteristics, including: 

• Unmatched thermal insulation that was ideal for use in high-temperature machinery and environments
• Exceptional fire resistance that was critical at sea 
• Outstanding insulation for electrical components 
• Remarkable durability 
• Effective sound-dampening abilities
• Lightweight compared to alternative materials
• Easily accessible 

While these properties offered significant advantages, they were countered by the material’s toxic nature, which was largely unknown to the military that required its inclusion in hundreds of applications, but well known to the manufacturers and suppliers that provided it to the Navy without alerting them to the risks it posed to sailors and shipyard workers.  

The USS Holder’s Deployment History

Early Mediterranean Operations

Following her Caribbean shakedown training, the Holder returned to Norfolk in August 1946. After conducting training exercises along the East coast, she sailed to the Mediterranean in October, making port calls to Egypt and Saudi Arabia before being sent to Newport, Rhode Island, where she participated in antisubmarine training exercises there and in the Caribbean.[2]

Cold War Atlantic Operations

The destroyer continued this operational pattern throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s. During June-July 1949, the Holder participated in a midshipman training cruise to northern Europe, but upon her return, her homeport was relocated from Newport to Norfolk Naval Base. In March 1950, her classification changed to DDE-819, but she continued alternating cruises to Europe and the Mediterranean with training periods and maintenance activities based in Norfolk and the Caribbean.

Middle East Crisis Response

In 1956, trouble arose in the Middle East following Egypt’s seizure of the Suez Canal. The Holder sailed to join the 6th Fleet to protect American lives and property and to help prevent wider escalation. In 1958, she was sent to the Mediterranean again to participate in landings at Beirut, Lebanon, in response to the government’s request for help. She and other American surface vessels and amphibious forces prevented the constitutional government’s collapse, averting a Communist takeover that could have destabilized the Middle East.[2]

Cuban Missile Crisis

By 1962, the Holder was once again sailing under the classification DD-819, and she participated in President Kennedy’s naval quarantine of Cuba. She and other ships took up positions to intercept and inspect shipping, with the Holder conducting an inspection of Russian vessels leaving the island. She remained on quarantine duty until November, then returned to Norfolk. 

FRAM Modernization

A month later, the Holder entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul. This comprehensive repair and modernization program was administered to nearly every Gearing-class destroyer, extending their useful service lives by years. New weapons systems, including ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) and DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter), along with a helicopter hangar and flight deck, significantly enhanced the ships’ antisubmarine warfare capabilities.[1] The Holder’s modernization was completed in October 1963, after which the destroyer conducted shakedown training before returning to the Caribbean for exercises.[2]

Later Service and Vietnam Operations

Throughout 1964 and 1965, the Holder’s deployments were focused on antisubmarine warfare training. From January to February 1965, she participated in NASA’s unmanned Gemini II capsule recovery operations and between late April and early May, she patrolled the waters off the Dominican Republic trying to prevent a Communist takeover. The following year, she continued Atlantic Fleet duties, then transited the Panama Canal en route to a Pacific Fleet assignment. In July, she served as plane guard for USS Ranger (CVA-61) in the Tonkin Gulf, then conducted naval gunfire support operations off Vietnam from late July 29 to August 8. In October, she provided plane guard services for USS Intrepid (CVS-11) and supported USS Chicago (CG-11). She departed for Norfolk in November via the Suez Canal to prepare for future deployments.

Final Deployments and Decommissioning

Between 1967 and 1976, the Holder conducted several significant deployments, including Mediterranean tours from 1967 to1968 and in 1970 and 1973. She participated in traditional naval ceremonies, including Shellback initiations in January 1971 and April 1973 while crossing the equator in Atlantic waters. Her final deployment occurred in the North Atlantic during July 1976. She was decommissioned in October 1976, struck from the Naval Vessel Register, and later transferred to Ecuador.[2]

How Was Asbestos Used in the USS Holder?

Like all destroyers built in the years surrounding World War II, the USS Holder had asbestos materials incorporated throughout her construction. While the mineral was found almost everywhere in the vessel, certain areas contained particularly dangerous levels of the hazardous material, including:

• Engineering compartments’ asbestos exposure came from insulation surrounding boilers, turbines, pumps, and valves. Thermal insulation blankets used to protect sailors from hot equipment, gaskets that were essential parts of equipment, and packing materials that protected the internal workings of friction machinery all contained asbestos.
• The destroyer’s steam lines, exhaust systems, and condensers required heat-resistant insulation, which was largely made of asbestos or asbestos-containing materials.
• Electrical systems, including wiring, control panels, and related components, used asbestos for its fire-resistance and insulating properties.
• Crew quarters and living spaces, including the mess where sailors ate, contained asbestos hidden in floor tiles, ceiling materials, wall insulation, and fire-resistant doors.
• The protective gear used by damage control teams to fight fires and address damage had asbestos fibers woven into their fabric for thermal protection.

Beyond the equipment that was included in the Holder during her original construction, the 1962-1963 FRAM modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard both disturbed that existing material and replaced it with new material that also contained asbestos.  The retrofit sent dangerous asbestos fibers airborne, where shipyard workers and crew members were at risk of inhaling them.

Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure on the USS Holder?

While all crewmembers serving aboard the USS Holder were endangered by their contaminated surroundings, sailors whose duties placed them in the areas where asbestos concentration was highest were at the greatest risk. These included: 

• Machinist’s mates were responsible for operating and maintaining propulsion system equipment that was insulated with asbestos, in areas with little to no ventilation.
• Boiler technicians built, installed, maintained, and repaired equipment that was heavily insulated with asbestos. They worked closely with asbestos materials, frequently removing old insulation, cleaning out dust and debris, and installing new material. 
• Damage repair personnel conducted emergency repairs that frequently disturbed asbestos-containing materials.
• Hull Maintenance Technicians did structural repair work, which often involved replacing damaged asbestos insulation. 
• Pipefitters and plumbers worked with the ship’s extensive piping network. This vital system was wrapped with asbestos or covered with spray-on asbestos.  
• Electricians installed and maintained the ship’s electrical systems, which were often insulated with asbestos-containing materials.
• Shipyard workers were both military members and civilian workers who were responsible for the Holder’s construction, FRAM modernization, and subsequent overhauls. These individuals experienced significant, concentrated exposure.

The confined nature of shipboard environments, which had limited ventilation in extremely cramped, enclosed spaces, magnified exposure and increased risk to those exposed. The lightweight, nearly invisible microscopic asbestos fibers could remain suspended mid-air for extended periods, circulating throughout compartments and air ducts and exposing everybody on board, including personnel who did not work directly with the carcinogenic material.

How Asbestos Exposure Impacted USS Holder Veterans

Asbestos exposure can lead to a wide range of health conditions, from disabling COPD and pleural plaques to the fatal form of cancer known as mesothelioma, which generally doesn’t appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure. While many veterans who served on the Holder have already been affected, this long latency period means that those who served during the Holder’s later years, and who feel healthy now, are still at risk of developing symptoms related to the service they completed decades ago.

While asbestos-related diseases can affect anybody exposed to the toxic mineral, Navy veterans represent a disproportionate percentage of those diagnosed with them. Common asbestos-related conditions affecting naval veterans include:

• Mesothelioma: An aggressive, fatal form of cancer that leads to aggressive tumors in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or in some cases the heart. 
• Asbestosis: A chronic illness characterized by breathing difficulties and reduced oxygen transfer caused by scarring of the lungs
• Lung Cancer: Malignant tumors that form in the lungs.
• Pleural Plaques and Effusions: Benign conditions that affect the respiratory system. 
• COPD: A chronic inflammatory lung condition that causes airflow obstruction and difficulty breathing.

Many of those who served on the USS Holder have been diagnosed with these asbestos-related diseases. A typical example can be found in the case of Navy veteran Wesley K. Davis, who served as a machinist’s mate onboard the USS Holder between 1965 and 1969. Mr. Holder was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2009 and filed a personal injury lawsuit against several asbestos companies that he blamed for having exposed him to asbestos. Among those named as defendants was Crane Co., a manufacturer frequently named in asbestos lawsuits. As part of the deposition testimony Mr. Davis provided in support of his case, he specifically recalled working extensively with Crane valves throughout his time on the Holder, where he worked in the forward engine room. He stated that the forward engine room contained “in [the] neighborhood” of one thousand valves, and that he worked with and around “hundreds” of Crane valves there.[3]

Mr. Davis’s work included changing gaskets and packing that he believed contained asbestos, and he asserted that his work duties exposed him to asbestos dust, as he was required to disturb or remove external asbestos insulation applied to the valves and adjacent pipelines. Mr. Davis testified that over his four years aboard the Holder, he had changed valves, valve gaskets, and valve packing on “[a] little over a hundred” occasions. His story is typical of many Navy veterans who served onboard asbestos-contaminated ships.

Were You Exposed to Asbestos on the USS Holder?

Asbestos-related diseases are life-changing and often fatal. It is common for those diagnosed with these diseases to face astronomical medical costs, especially those diagnosed with mesothelioma. While these illnesses represent challenges of all kinds, several resources are available to former sailors who served on the USS Holder and shipyard workers who worked on the vessel in the form of both financial and medical compensation and support, including:  

Assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has acknowledged the link between military service and asbestos-related conditions, and offers several benefits to veterans diagnosed with these illnesses who can prove its link to their service.  These service members may be entitled to:

• Monthly disability payments (with mesothelioma often qualifying for full compensation)

• Access to medical care from physicians who specialize in treating asbestos-related illnesses, at facilitiesthat offer state-of-the-art treatment.

• In-home care, durable medical equipment, and other supportive resources.

Eligibility for these benefits is provided once veterans provide proof of asbestos exposure related to their naval service and evidence of a health condition connected to asbestos exposure during that time.

Asbestos Settlement Trusts

Numerous asbestos manufacturers and distributors whose products and actions have been linked to damaging exposure have established compensation trusts as part of the bankruptcy agreements. These funds, which hold billions in assets, are available to victims, including veterans, regardless of whether the companies are still in operation. Claimants need to provide:

• Records showing when and how their asbestos exposure occurred

• A confirmed medical diagnosis linked to that exposure

Though compensation paid by asbestos trust funds is significantly less than what victims receive following successful litigation, the process of getting funds is less adversarial and much faster.

Legal Remedies

Veterans who’ve been diagnosed with asbestos-related disease linked to their military service can’t sue the government, but they do have the right to seek compensation from the companies that provided the asbestos products they were exposed to. Most of these claims cite negligence and product liability as the cause for their action, with some accusing the companies involved of conspiracy, fraud, and recklessness.

Legal action can take the form of personal injury lawsuits filed by living victims seeking compensation for economic damages, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium, or wrongful death claims filed by surviving family members of those who’ve died of their asbestos-related illnesses.

Notably, pursuing legal action against these companies will not interfere with VA benefits, and it is possible to pursue all available compensation options at the same time.

Whether you choose to pursue veterans’ benefits, file claims against the asbestos trusts, or pursue litigation, complex paperwork will be involved, and in some cases, investigations will be required. Working with an asbestos attorney who specializes in these types of cases is strongly recommended. These knowledgeable legal professionals can help you build a strong claim, identify all potential defendants, negotiate on your behalf, and secure the best possible outcome for you and your family.