The USS Benner (DD-807/DDR-807) served the American Navy from the final battles of World War II through the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict. Though the destroyer earned multiple battle stars through the years and served crucial diplomatic roles and nuclear testing operations,[1] many Navy veterans and shipyard workers associate the ship with its extensive use of asbestos, as years later they developed life-threatening conditions, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other debilitating diseases.
About the USS Benner
The USS Benner was a Gearing-class destroyer, a vessel whose design represented the final chapter of American destroyer development during World War II. Though her initial construction followed the plans for a standard destroyer, the Benner was later designated for specialized service as a “picket ship” to provide early warning and defense capabilities and was retrofitted to reflect this mission.[2]
The vessel bears the name of Lieutenant (junior grade) Henry Benner, a naval aviator who demonstrated exceptional courage during the Solomon Islands campaign. He was killed in action in 1942 during a nighttime raid by the Japanese. Lt. Benner led his platoon through two days of combat on “Bloody Ridge,” directing fire against enemy force. Though greatly outnumbered, his team contributed to the annihilation of the Japanese regiment. He was killed in action during the battle and posthumously awarded the Silver Star.[3]
The ship was laid down and launched two years after Lieutenant Benner’s death, with his mother, Mrs. Gertrude A. Benner, serving as sponsor. The destroyer entered commissioned service in 1945 under Commander John Munholland’s leadership.
Operational History and Deployments
After modifications at Boston Navy Yard, the Benner underwent shakedown exercises at Guantanamo Bay, focusing on gunnery, antiaircraft, and antisubmarine warfare (ASW) training. In late April, she conducted ASW training with a “bottomed out” friendly submarine near Haiti and shore bombardment exercises near Culebra Island. Following an antisubmarine patrol with HMS Reaper in early May, she returned to Boston for post-shakedown repairs.[1]
By June 1945, Benner transited the Panama Canal and arrived in San Diego before proceeding to Pearl Harbor for intensive training in preparation for deployment to Japanese waters. She left Pearl Harbor to escort the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, participating in air strikes against Wake Island. By late July, she was serving as a screening vessel for USS Randolph during air strikes against Maizuru, Japan, and the Tokyo-Nagoya area. While serving with three other destroyers, she came under attack from Japanese aircraft.
After Japan’s surrender, Benner provided an aircraft homing beacon for flights between Tokyo and Okinawa, and later supported POW-relief flights. She remained on duty in Japan until January 1946, after which she participated in Western Pacific cruising operations before returning to San Diego in April. After an overhaul, she deployed to Hong Kong in January 1947.
For eight months, the Benner supported American diplomatic efforts during the Chinese civil war, visiting Shanghai, Tsingtao, and Chinwangtao in China, as well as Pusan in Korea. After returning to San Diego in October, she deployed to China again in October 1948 to escort the Pacific Mobile Striking Force to Tsingtao and monitor the withdrawal of Soviet forces from North Korea.[1]
In early 1949, the Benner was reclassified as a radar picket destroyer and reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet. She sailed to her new home port of Newport, Rhode Island, then began conducting routine exercises in Narragansett Bay and participating in reserve training cruises along the eastern seaboard. In the fall, she participated in amphibious landing exercises with Canadian naval forces.
After the North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950, it was sent on four Mediterranean deployments, visiting ports in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Algeria, and Morocco. Between these overseas tours, she conducted reserve and midshipmen training in the Caribbean and participated in NATO exercises.
In early 1956, Benner underwent a modernization overhaul at New York Naval Shipyard, then was reassigned to the Pacific Fleet. In March 1957, a western Pacific deployment sent her to Yokosuka, Japan, as part of America’s commitment to secure Taiwan against potential communist attacks. In 1958, she participated in Operation “Hardtack” at Eniwetok Atoll, a series of nuclear tests to conduct weather observations, search and rescue, equipment recovery, and air operations center during the Navy’s evaluation of its new weapons.[1]
When Chinese communists opened fire on the islands of Quemoy and Matsu in late August 1958, Benner was deployed to the Taiwan Strait, joining a six-carrier task force that protected supply convoys to the Nationalist garrison on Quemoy. In June 1962, Benner entered an eight-month Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul, receiving new sonar and ASW weapons, including a drone antisubmarine helicopter (DASH). In November 1962, she was reclassified from a radar picket destroyer to a destroyer and redesignated DD-807.
Beginning in August 1965, the USS Benner was repeatedly deployed to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. She conducted naval gunfire support missions, search and rescue patrols, carrier screening operations, and participated in Operation “Sea Dragon” in January 1967, engaging enemy logistics craft and destroying an antiaircraft battery. In February, she joined USS Canberra (CAG-2) and USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16) in bombarding the North Vietnamese coast, receiving 116 enemy rounds, conducting dozens of fire missions, and firing 1,281 5-inch rounds against enemy targets.[1]
In 1968, Benner fired nearly 900 5-inch rounds at Viet Cong troops near Vung Tau in support of Operation “Game Warden,” and provided support in the DMZ and I Corps territory. Her last deployment to Vietnam was in October 1969. After returning home in April 1970, defense budget cuts resulted in the ship’s inactivation. She was decommissioned in November 1970. She was sold for scrapping in 1975.
Over a 25-year naval career, the USS Benner received one battle star for her World War II service and five battle stars for service in the Vietnam War.
Asbestos Use Throughout the USS Benner
The USS Benner was constructed during the mid-1940s wartime shipbuilding surge, when all ships made extensive use of asbestos materials due to their exceptional fire resistance, insulation, sound dampening, and durability. Asbestos was mandated across numerous shipboard applications as part of safety precautions against fire at sea and other priorities. Though the companies supplying asbestos-containing materials were increasingly receiving reports of the health hazards posed by the material, they chose not to inform the military of its dangers, choosing profits over the health of those who would be exposed.
Asbestos materials were found throughout the USS Benner in critical locations. The highest concentration of asbestos materials was in the ship’s engineering compartments, where propulsion systems needed thermal insulation for boilers, turbines, pumps, and valves. The ship’s extensive network of high-pressure steam piping was wrapped in or sprayed with asbestos, and maintenance or repairs of these important aspects of the ship’s infrastructure resulted in asbestos particles being sent into cramped compartments and circulated through the ship’s ventilation system.
Other materials contaminated with asbestos included safety equipment, weapons systems, and the ship’s electronics, which used asbestos insulation to protect equipment from heat and vibration. Crew quarters, the mess, and other work areas contained asbestos in overhead panels, bulkhead insulation, flooring materials, and the ship’s ventilation system. No matter where the ship’s personnel went or worked, they were constantly in close proximity to asbestos materials.
The Benner’s multiple overhauls and modernization programs involved the removal of original asbestos-containing materials and the installation of new components that also incorporated asbestos. This introduced asbestos exposure to shipyard workers, as well as sailors. Furthermore, operations during Vietnam saw the ship receive enemy fire, potentially creating vibrations that disturbed asbestos materials.
How Asbestos Exposure Affected Navy Veterans
When asbestos is released into the air, its microscopic asbestos particles remain suspended for extended periods, increasing the risk of them eventually being inhaled or ingested by anybody nearby. When these tiny fibers enter the respiratory system, their needle-like structure makes it almost impossible for the body to expel them, and their chemical structure resists being broken down by the body’s natural mechanisms. As a result, they remain embedded in tissue, eventually leading to inflammation, cell damage, and genetic mutations. This process occurs silently, over decades. Affected individuals have no symptoms of the damage that is taking place within their body until 20 to 50 years after exposure. This damage can include pleural plaques, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma—a fatal and aggressive form of cancer.
The personnel aboard the USS Benner were unaware of the invisible hazard surrounding them, and its operational history created numerous risks. Personnel running the propulsion plant disturbed asbestos insulation during routine maintenance, and repair teams handled asbestos components too. Extended deployments meant prolonged exposure with minimal ventilation, and combat operations created vibrations and damage that contributed to the breakdown of shipboard asbestos.
It’s an unfortunate fact that Navy veterans represent almost a third of all those diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States. Sailors who served on destroyers show particularly high incidence rates due to their vessels’ compact engineering spaces and the high concentration of asbestos materials used in the ships. These devastating illnesses have long latency periods, and typically don’t emerge until years after veterans have completed their military service and the civilian careers that followed, striking when they should be enjoying their retirement.
Help for Veterans Affected by Mesothelioma
Former USS Benner crew members and other military veterans exposed to asbestos during their service have multiple options for compensation and support.
The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes several asbestos-related diseases as potentially service-connected disabilities, and veterans whose claims prove the link between their illness and their service are eligible for disability compensation and comprehensive healthcare benefits, including access to specialists within the VA medical system, advanced procedures, and cutting-edge treatment protocols. For particularly aggressive conditions like mesothelioma, the VA typically assigns 100% disability ratings, providing maximum monthly compensation to offset income loss and medical expenses not covered through standard healthcare programs.
Beyond their VA benefits, affected veterans also have the same legal rights as civilians. Though they can’t hold the military responsible, they can file personal injury lawsuits against the companies that manufactured and supplied asbestos products to the Navy’s shipbuilding operations while failing to come forward about their dangers. Many veterans have pursued the companies that supplied pumps, valves, insulation, gaskets, and other asbestos-containing components installed aboard destroyers like the Benner, resulting in significant compensation.
Another source of compensation for damages suffered by asbestos victims can be found in the numerous trust funds that bankrupt asbestos companies were required to set up as part of their financial reorganization. These trusts are specifically created for the benefit of those harmed by their products. These programs often process claims quickly, providing funds much faster than litigation does.
Personnel connected with the USS Benner who are concerned about the risks posed by their asbestos exposure should contact their healthcare providers and alert them to this part of their history. Early detection can make a real difference in which treatment options are available to you. If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos disease, consulting a mesothelioma attorney who specializes in asbestos exposure cases will provide you with answers to all your legal and financial questions. These compassionate professionals will explain your options so you and your family can decide on the best path forward and will help you navigate the complex process, whichever option you choose.
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