The USS Eugene A. Greene (DD-71) was the second Gearing-class destroyer built. Like many Navy ships built during that era, the USS Eugene A. Greene was constructed with a substantial amount of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials. As a result, many veterans who served aboard the ship, along with shipyard workers involved in its construction, were later diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related illnesses, while others remain at risk.
About the USS Eugene A. Greene
The USS Eugene A. Greene was the second Gearing class ship built. There were 98 Gearings, and they represented the last destroyers that the Navy ordered during World War II. The ships offered a significant advantage over their predecessors. They were the heaviest and most powerful destroyers in the world, and the 14 feet of additional hull space inherent in their design provided significantly increased fuel capacity. This extended the ships’ operating range.
After the war’s end, almost all the Gearing destroyers underwent numerous upgrades and conversions to accommodate their missions and assignments. In the case of the USSS Eugene A. Greene, the modifications she underwent allowed her to serve as a rescue ship, gunfire support ship, patrol ship, antisubmarine warfare ship, surveillance ship, anti-air warfare ship, and finally a goodwill ship visiting various ports around the world to fly the American flag.[1]
The USS Eugene A. Greene was 390.5 feet long and 41 feet wide and was capable of attaining speeds in excess of 34 knots. She displaced 3,480 tons fully loaded and was powered by four Babcock & Wilcox boilers and two General Electric geared steam turbines that provided 60,000 shaft horsepower.[1] Though this equipment made the ship highly maneuverable and quick, they all were built and insulated with asbestos components that put hundreds of Navy veterans at risk for malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Construction and Repairs
The USS Eugene A. Greene’s keel was laid in August 1944. She was constructed by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Port Newark, New Jersey. She was commissioned in June 1945. The ship was named for Eugene Allen Greene, a Rhode Island resident who enlisted in the Navy Reserve in 1941. After completing aviation training and Advanced Carrier Landing Training, he was assigned to Bombing Squadron Six on board the USS Enterprise, which operated in the Pacific. The ship was returning to Oahu on the morning of December 7, 1941, and became one of the first ships to respond to the call for war, playing a role in the battle of Midway, Guadalcanal, and the “Doolittle Raid” on Tokyo. Ensign Greene was shot down during the Battle of Midway and classified as Missing in Action. The USS Eugene A. Greene was named in his honor and sponsored and christened by his widow.[2]
After spending several years providing services as a plane guard and naval reserve training ship, the ship returned to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1952, was decommissioned, and scheduled for a major conversion that saw her outfitted with special radar communications systems that optimized her ability to provide early warnings when sent out ahead of a task force. Her lighter anti-aircraft weapons were also removed.[1]
The ship’s second major conversion came in 1962 as part of the Mark I Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM I) program that almost all of the Gearing class ships underwent. The overhaul represented an extensive modernization of the entire ship, removing both her five-inch and three-inch guns as well as her depth charges and adding ASW torpedo tubes, an ASROC launcher, a DASH hangar and deck, and an SPS-40 radar system. These changes accommodated the ship’s mission focus on anti-submarine warfare, electronics, and electronic countermeasures.[1]
In 1966, the ship hit a submerged log and required repairs at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, and later that year required further repairs when her port shaft parted in the stern tube and slid aft to rest on her port rudder. She transited to the Philippine Islands for repairs. The ship was dry-docked at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1971 for major repairs. She remained there for extended upkeep and maintenance. One year later, she was decommissioned and transferred on loan to the Spanish Navy, which purchased her in 1978.[1]
Service and Deployment History of the USS Eugene A. Greene
After shakedown training in Cuba, the USS Eugene A. Greene was initially assigned to radar experiments in Florida. There when the Japanese surrendered, she was reassigned from her original assignment with the Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic Fleet as part of Destroyer Squadron 68. Like other destroyers, she transitioned from a defensive role, the USS Greene became an offensive vessel, conducting surface attacks, naval bombardments, and anti-submarine warfare.[1]
Operating primarily from Norfolk, Virginia, the USS Greene participated in Mediterranean and Caribbean operations, NATO exercises, and notable events such as the first jet aircraft take-off from a carrier in 1946. The ship participated in many Mediterranean cruises with the Sixth Fleet and also took part in cold weather operations in the Arctic Circle. She provided services as a naval reserve training ship, served as a plane guard in carrier operations, and participated in fleet maneuvers before returning to Norfolk, Virginia for her first major conversion to a destroyer radar picket ship.[1]
Through the 1950s and early 1960s, the ship was actively involved in fleet operations, making occasional Northern European trips and supporting NATO operations. She participated in inter-ship and air defense exercises before being sent to the Mediterranean where she spent time off the Suez Canal and the coast of Israel. After a regular overhaul at Norfolk, she participated in NATO exercises and returned to the Mediterranean.[1]
The USS Eugene A. Greene’s home port was shifted to Charleston, South Carolina, and was assigned to escort the USS Intrepid to provide aircraft guidance to the carrier. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, she was deployed to protect carrier strike groups from potential threats before undergoing FRAM I conversion at the Boston Naval Shipyard ship. She later served as a recovery vessel for the Gemini space program and was awarded the Atlantic Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Trophy. In 1966, she transited the Panama Canal, marking her first time in the Pacific Ocean, and that same year, she joined the Seventh Fleet for her first Pacific deployment, participating in Vietnam War operations escorting carriers, and providing naval gunfire support.[1]
In 1968, the USS Greene ran aground in Iran but was repaired and resumed operations. The ship later assisted in the search for the missing submarine USS Scorpion and participated in Apollo VII recovery efforts. Despite recurring mechanical issues, the USS Greene continued Mediterranean deployments and NATO exercises into the early 1970s.[1]
The destroyer was decommissioned on August 31, 1972, in Norfolk, Virginia, marking the end of a distinguished career spanning over 25 years of service.
How Was Asbestos Used on the USS Eugene A. Greene?
The extensive use of asbestos on the USS Eugene A. Greene was similar to what occurred among almost all ships constructed between the 1930s and 1980s, particularly during the World War II era. Unaware that the material was carcinogenic, the military placed significant value on its insulating and fireproofing properties, which had the added advantage of adding minimal weight while being cost-effective and readily available. Although many of the manufacturers that supplied the products were aware of its health hazards, the military remained unaware and prioritized its use for safeguarding both personnel and equipment.
Onboard, asbestos was used in hundreds of applications, including:
•Engine and Boiler Rooms: These areas had the highest concentration of asbestos, as it was used to insulate machinery and prevent fire spread.
•Protective Gear: Sailors’ protective clothing and firefighting equipment had asbestos woven into their fabric to shield against burns and heat.
•Pipe Insulation: The piping system that ran throughout the ship’s infrastructure was covered with asbestos, either in a spray-on formulation or a wrap, for thermal protection.
•Additional Components: Parts of vital equipment, including gaskets, valves, and flooring and ceiling materials, also contained asbestos.
Who Was Exposed to Asbestos on the USS Eugene A. Greene?
Crew members and officers aboard the USS Eugene A. Greene faced substantial risks from being exposed to asbestos. The material was widespread throughout the ship, and any disruption of asbestos-containing components had the potential to release microscopic fibers into the air, where they were easily inhaled or swallowed. Once inside the body, these sharp, needle-like fibers were difficult to expel. Remaining there embedded in the cells, they gradually caused tissue damage, scarring, mutations, and severe illnesses such as asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma, and asbestos-related lung cancer which generally developed decades later.
Though anybody who served onboard the USS Eugene A. Greene faced the risk of asbestos exposure, those who were most affected included:
- Boiler Workers – Boilers required extensive insulation, which was almost always made with asbestos. Workers in this role also wore protective gear that may have contained asbestos.
- Pipefitters – Pipefitters frequently worked around or with asbestos insulation, with the highest exposure risks occurring during the replacement or repair of insulated pipes.
- Engine Room Workers – Engine room components generated significant heat, requiring asbestos insulation similar to that used for boilers and pipes.
- Machinists – Machinists’ mates operated and maintained various types of machinery, including generators, pumps, and cooling systems, all of which contained asbestos insulation.
- Electricians – Electrical systems were insulated with asbestos, placing electricians and electricians’ mates at risk of exposure.
- Shipyard Workers – Constructing, maintaining, upgrading, and converting Navy ships involved handling large amounts of asbestos materials, making shipyard workers particularly vulnerable to exposure.
Many individuals impacted by asbestos while serving on the USS Eugene A. Greene have pursued legal action against the manufacturers who provided the asbestos-containing materials on the ship. Among them was Roland Stevens, who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after having served as a boilermaker in the U.S. Navy from 1954 through 1974. Mr. Stevens was responsible for inspecting, maintaining, repairing, and overhauling boilers and their associated pumps, valves, forced draft blowers, and other equipment on dozens of Navy vessels, including the USS Eugene A. Greene.[3]
Benefits and Compensation Available for USS Eugene A. Greene Veterans
If you are a Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Eugene A. Greene or who worked in any of the shipyards where it underwent repairs, upgrades, or conversions, you may have been exposed to asbestos and placed at risk for serious health conditions. Veterans who develop illnesses due to asbestos exposure have the right to seek compensation through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Filing a claim with the VA can provide immediate access to comprehensive benefits, including coverage for medical expenses and treatment at VA medical centers or specialized facilities throughout the United States. Veterans may also qualify for disability compensation, with mesothelioma recognized as a 100% disabling condition.
Beyond VA benefits, veterans can pursue compensation from the asbestos manufacturers that negligently supplied these hazardous materials to the military while aware of the risks that they posed. Legal action against these companies may lead to settlements out of court or court cases leading to jury awards. Additionally, many asbestos companies that declared bankruptcy due to asbestos-related liabilities were required to establish asbestos trust funds to compensate victims who would be diagnosed in the future.
If you were exposed to asbestos on the USS Eugene A. Greene during your military service, consulting an experienced mesothelioma attorney is crucial to your ability to get justice. An asbestos lawyer will listen to your story and answer your questions, then guide you through your options and what you should expect from the process. They can help identify the responsible asbestos companies based on your service history and assist in filing for VA benefits and legal claims. They will be one of your most valuable resources.
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