The USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829) was a Gearing-class destroyer that served the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1979, spanning the final months of World War II through decades of Cold War operations and Vietnam combat. Years after the ship was no longer sailing, many veterans who’d served on the ship received devastating diagnoses of mesothelioma and other related illnesses due to the ship’s widespread contamination with asbestos; many more are still at risk.
About the Gearing-class Destroyers
As a Gearing-class destroyer, the USS Myles C. Fox was one of 98 ships considered the pinnacle of World War II-era naval engineering. Beyond their military service, the vessels served as the foundation for post-war destroyer design and established performance standards that influenced naval architecture for decades.
The Gearing-class ship specifications reflected the Navy’s commitment to speed and firepower: Their propulsion system could achieve speeds of 35 knots, while their armament included six 5-inch guns, multiple 20mm anti-aircraft weapons, five 21-inch torpedo tubes, and depth charge equipment. The ships measured 390 feet 6 inches in length with a beam of 41 feet 1 inch and a draft of 18 feet 6 inches, and they displaced 2,425 tons and accommodated a crew of 367 officers and enlisted personnel.[1]
Unfortunately, the advanced engineering invested in the Gearing-class vessels came with a deadly hidden cost—extensive use of asbestos insulation throughout their structures and mechanical systems. The intense heat generated by the ship’s boilers, turbines, and steam systems required this insulation to protect both equipment and those working with it, and asbestos was the material of choice during this era, valued for its exceptional heat resistance, durability, and fire-retardant properties. This decision, while logical given the technology available at the time, would later prove devastating for the health of countless Navy veterans.
About the USS Myles C. Fox
The Ship’s Name
The USS Myles C. Fox was named to honor First Lieutenant Myles Crosby Fox, a Marine Corps officer who displayed tremendous courage during the Solomon Islands campaign. Fox enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from college, and after receiving his commission as second lieutenant in November 1940 and being promoted to first lieutenant in April 1942, was deployed to the Pacific theater.
Lieutenant Fox participated in the assault on Tulagi in August of that year, and despite being mortally wounded, deployed his men to repel a Japanese attack. Fox was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.[2]
Operational History of the USS Myles C. Fox
Construction and Commissioning
The USS Myles C. Fox was laid down by Bath Iron Works Corporation in August 1944, during the height of World War II battleship production. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. James C. Fox, the lieutenant’s mother, and following her launch in January 1945, the destroyer was commissioned at Boston in March 1945, under the command of Commander John S. Fahy.[2]
Final World War II Operations
After completing her Caribbean shakedown cruise and training exercises off New Jersey, the Myles C. Fox departed for the Pacific theater in July 1945 through the Panama Canal to San Diego and ultimately to Pearl Harbor. Her Pacific deployment began in August when she was headed for the Marshall Islands, but she received news of Japan’s surrender while en route.
Despite the war’s end, the USS Myles C. Fox continued to Japan, anchoring in Tokyo Bay to begin occupation duties. While there, she performed the crucial role of screening aircraft carriers that provided air cover for Allied occupation forces landing throughout Japan as the country underwent a peaceful transition from war to occupation.
Post-War Service and Modernization
The destroyer remained in Japanese waters until January 1946, when she sailed for Saipan before returning to San Diego with homeward-bound veterans in March. After operating along the West Coast through late 1946, she returned to the Far East in January 1947, arriving at Yokosuka on the 25th for extended operations throughout the Western Pacific.
Her Far Eastern service included diplomatic missions to Korea, China, Okinawa, and Hong Kong, demonstrating American naval presence during the increasingly tense early Cold War period. In July 1947, the Myles C. Fox participated in a dramatic rescue operation alongside HMS Hart and USS Hawkins (DD-873), saving approximately 1,800 passengers and crew from the grounded passenger ship SS Hong Kheng near Hong Kong. The multinational rescue effort required 76 boat trips over several days and showcased naval cooperation between countries.
Radar Picket Conversion and Atlantic Operations
Returning to San Diego in October 1947, the Myles C. Fox underwent conversion to a radar picket destroyer. This modification reflected the Navy’s growing emphasis on early warning capabilities during the emerging Cold War. After receiving the new designation DDR-829, she transferred to Newport, Rhode Island, as her new home port in May 1949.
The 1950s brought regular deployment patterns between Atlantic Coast operations and Mediterranean service with the Sixth Fleet. Her May 1950 Mediterranean deployment included extensive exercises with NATO allies and port visits throughout France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Spain. These diplomatic missions reinforced Western unity against Soviet expansion.
Cold War Confrontations
Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, the Myles C. Fox maintained the demanding operational tempo that characterized Cold War naval service. In 1952, she deployed to Scotland and into the Norwegian Sea as part of NATO forces, and subsequent cruises included midshipman training operations and goodwill visits to South American ports.
The ship received a 1961 Battle Efficiency “E” award that recognized her crew’s exceptional performance during this period. In 1964, her home port changed to Boston, and she underwent a comprehensive FRAM I (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) overhaul that updated her electronics, weapons, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The modernization process enhanced her conventional destroyer abilities and resulted in her being redesignated as DD-829.
Space Age Missions and Vietnam Service
As America entered the space race in the mid-1960s, the Myles C. Fox was stationed in the eastern Atlantic, joining the Gemini 8 recovery team to support NASA’s space program. Amid this deployment, she was sent to assist the Swedish freighter M/V Palma, which had caught fire off the African coast. For three days, firefighting teams from the Myles C. Fox battled the blaze alongside crews from USS Caloosahatchee (AO-98) and USS Charles P. Cecil (DD-835) until the flames were finally extinguished.
The Myles C. Fox was sent on her most significant combat deployment at the start of October 1966, when she left for Southeast Asia via the Panama Canal. Arriving off North Vietnam in January 1967, the destroyer immediately began naval gunfire support missions against enemy ground forces and installations. Her assistance proved highly effective, damaging three enemy junks and two Communist sampans while providing crucial fire support for ground operations.
The Myles C. Fox’s Vietnam service ended in February 1967, when she began the second half of a round-the-world cruise, returning to Newport via the Suez Canal and Gibraltar in April.
Continued Service and Final Years
Following Vietnam, the destroyer resumed her established pattern of East Coast and Caribbean operations alternating with overseas deployments. She entered Boston Naval Shipyard for an overhaul in September 1967 and emerged in January 1968 with updated systems, but without her DASH helicopter capability.[2]
The late 1960s and early 1970s brought diverse assignments, including participation in the Apollo 11 program. In January 1969, she conducted sea trials with the astronaut quarantine that would later house the astronauts upon their return to Earth trailer, and in March 1969, she deployed to the Indian Ocean, visiting ports throughout Africa, Madagascar, India, Pakistan, and Iran.
In 1970, the Myles C. Fox participated in UNITAS XI, conducting extensive training exercises with South American navies from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Colombia over 5.5 months. This multinational operation culminated with her return through the Panama Canal to Newport in December 1970.[2]
The Myles C. Fox’s final combat deployment began in May 1972, when she arrived off the coast of Vietnam for two months of intensive naval gunfire support operations. The destroyer provided fire support in South Vietnam while spearheading surface strikes into North Vietnamese waters, earning her second Battle Efficiency “E” award in August before returning to Newport.
Naval Reserve Service
In July 1973, following fuel oil conversion to navy distillate, the Myles C. Fox transferred to the Naval Reserve Force. Her home port was shifted to Brooklyn, New York, and for the next six years, her primary mission shifted to training Naval Reserve personnel, though she maintained readiness for active fleet operations and was deployed to Cuba in 1978 for refresher training.
The USS Myles C. Fox was decommissioned in October 1979, after serving the U.S. Navy for 34½ years. She was sold to Greece in 1980.
The Use of Asbestos in the USS Myles C. Fox
The hundreds of sailors who served on the USS Myles C. Fox across multiple decades did so with honor. Unfortunately, having spent time on her decks also exposed them to life-threatening asbestos fibers. Built during the era when asbestos was considered indispensable to naval construction, the destroyer contained the hazardous material throughout virtually every compartment and system.
The most dangerous areas of asbestos contamination included:
- Engineering spaces, where extensive asbestos lagging surrounded boiler tubes, steam pipes, turbine casings, and related mechanical systems
- Electrical compartments, which contained asbestos-wrapped cables and wiring, insulated junction panels, and fire-resistant cable runs
- Hull spaces, which featured asbestos-cement products in deck tiles, bulkhead panels, and structural fireproofing materials
- Ventilation systems, which circulated contaminated air particles throughout living and working areas
- Gaskets and sealing compounds, found in pumps, valves, and hatches that released asbestos fibers during routine maintenance
Personnel at High Risk
Certain crew members on board the USS Myles C. Fox faced significantly higher asbestos exposure due to their duties and workspace assignments. Machinist’s mates, boiler technicians, electrician’s mates, and damage control personnel encountered the greatest hazards through their direct contact with asbestos-containing materials and their extended work hours in poorly ventilated engineering spaces where airborne fibers could remain suspended for hours after disturbance.
Additionally, the ship’s extensive overhaul periods, including her 1964 FRAM I modernization and subsequent shipyard work, likely exposed both crew members and civilian shipyard workers to massive quantities of asbestos during renovation and maintenance activities. The 1965 fire in Radio Central and subsequent repairs at Boston Naval Shipyard may also have released asbestos debris, potentially affecting emergency response teams and repair personnel.
Recognizing the Risk of Asbestos-Related Diseases
Throughout the Miles C. Fox’s operational career, she underwent routine maintenance, combat damage repair, and system modifications. These actions continuously disturbed asbestos-containing materials, and so did the firing of the ship’s guns and the ship’s general vibrations. Combined, all these activities created continuous asbestos exposure, the danger of which was unrecognized for decades.
Veterans who served aboard the USS Myles C. Fox can look back at their years on the ship with pride, but should be aware that they likely encountered asbestos exposure, regardless of their specific duties or location on the ship. The pervasive nature of asbestos use in naval construction during this era means that virtually no area of the vessel was completely free from contamination.
If you served aboard the USS Myles C. Fox, it’s essential that you inform your healthcare provider about your history of asbestos exposure. Even if you feel perfectly fine, the risk is real, and mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions often have long latency periods, sometimes not appearing until 20-40 years after initial exposure. Regular screening can detect asbestos-related diseases early, when there are more treatment options available and have a better chance of being effective.
Key symptoms to monitor include:
- Persistent cough or changes in coughing patterns
- Shortness of breath or wheezing during normal activities
- Chest pain or tightness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue or reduced exercise tolerance
- Difficulty swallowing
- Swelling in the face or arms
Support and Resources for USS Myles C. Fox Veterans Diagnosed with Mesothelioma
Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases have access to comprehensive support through multiple channels, including:
Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits
The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides extensive support to veterans, and especially to those whose illnesses stem from military service exposure to asbestos. Once you establish the connection between your condition and service-related asbestos exposure, you become eligible for:
- Monthly disability compensation payments
- Special monthly compensation for severe cases
- Comprehensive medical treatment at VA facilities
- Benefits for spouses and dependents
- Access to specialized mesothelioma treatment centers
Many VA medical centers have developed expertise in treating asbestos-related diseases, and the VA can arrange care at civilian cancer treatment centers if specialized facilities aren’t available locally.
Personal Injury Lawsuits and Wrongful Death Claims
You may have grounds for legal action against the manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos-containing products you were exposed to during your naval service. Many of these companies were aware of the dangers of asbestos but decided against warning the military or other end users so they could protect their profits. This corporate negligence was widespread and has resulted in substantial jury awards and settlements for mesothelioma victims and for their surviving family members.
Asbestos Trust Funds
After decades of knowingly exposing military members and workers in a wide range of trades to the risk of asbestos-related diseases, the companies responsible faced justice in the form of civil lawsuits. Victims and their surviving family members filed lawsuits by the thousands, and juries learning of the companies’ conscious decision to forego providing warning of the deadly risks they were facing responded with orders to pay multi-million dollar verdicts. Facing overwhelming liabilities, many of these companies filed for bankruptcy and were forced to establish trust funds to benefit future victims of their negligence. Veterans who served on board the USS Miles C. Fox may be eligible to file for compensation for several of these funds.
Contact a Mesothelioma Lawyer to Explore Your Options
An experienced mesothelioma attorney can evaluate your case, answer your questions, and explain all your legal options and the processes involved. They can help you apply for VA benefits and, if you decide to take legal action, will explore your exposure history to identify all the responsible parties so they can help you maximize the compensation you receive to help pay for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and to secure a stable future for your family.
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