The USS Carpenter (DD-825) was a converted Gearing-class destroyer built when asbestos was a common component of naval shipbuilding. The ship contained the carcinogenic mineral throughout nearly all of its operational systems, its structure, and its most important equipment. Since that time, it’s become common knowledge that asbestos exposure causes cancer and other illnesses, resulting in sickness and death in veterans who served on board the Carpenter and other Navy ships. Thousands of veterans have developed pleural mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other severe respiratory conditions, while others are still vulnerable to these diseases.
About the USS Carpenter (DD-825)
The Ship’s Namesake
The USS Carpenter honored the memory of Lieutenant Commander Donald Marshall Carpenter, a naval aviator who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1916. He served throughout World War I aboard the USS Wyoming, then chose naval aviation over continued battleship service. His most notable achievement was in the summer of 1933 when he led the longest non-stop formation seaplane flight in history, covering 1,788 nautical miles in 25 hours and 29 minutes.[1]
The Ship’s Specifications
The USS Carpenter served the United States Navy from 1949 to 1981. Throughout her 32-year career, she specialized in anti-submarine warfare operations, including Pacific deployments, Korean War service, Vietnam War operations, and Cold War surveillance missions. She also engaged in intensive ASW training exercises and technological testing from her home port at Pearl Harbor.
The converted Gearing-class destroyer displaced 2,425 tons and measured 390 feet 6 inches in length, with a 41-foot 1-inch beam and 18-foot 6-inch draft. Her General Electric propulsion systems delivered 35-knot maximum speeds, which were essential for her hunter-killer anti-submarine mission profile.
Following her conversion to an escort destroyer (DDE) configuration, the vessel’s armaments were upgraded to include four 3-inch guns, two Weapon Alpha anti-submarine rocket launchers, Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, six depth charge projectors, and two depth charge tracks. She carried a complement of 367 sailors and officers, with thousands of naval personnel serving aboard her throughout her tenure. Many of them faced serious health complications from widespread asbestos exposure, and there are many more who may be diagnosed in the future.
Construction and Operational History of the USS Carpenter
The USS Carpenter was laid down at Consolidated Shipbuilding Company in Orange, Texas, in July 1945 and launched in September with Donald M. Carpenter’s widow serving as sponsor. The ship’s construction was cancelled in January 1946, then resumed in February. It was stopped again in October, when the hull was transferred to Algiers Naval Station. It was later towed to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, which completed its conversion to a hunter-killer anti-submarine destroyer in November of 1947.
The USS Carpenter was commissioned at Norfolk Naval Shipyard on December 15, 1949, under Commander James B. Grady. The ship’s designation changed to DDE (escort destroyer) in 1950, and she conducted shakedown cruises and intensive ASW training at Guantanamo Bay before transiting to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal. [1]
The Korean War
The USS Carpenter’s first Korean War deployment began in early 1952, when she conducted hunter-killer training exercises off Okinawa. She then reported to Task Force 77 and operated with the Fast Carrier Force, spending time screening carriers and conducting ASW operations, including two trips to rescue downed pilots.
The ship joined the United Nations Blockading and Escort Force in the Yellow Sea, conducting shore bombardment missions and screening British, Australian, and Canadian carrier groups, then returned to Pearl Harbor for refit. The Carpenter participated in Operation IVY atmospheric thermonuclear tests at Eniwetok Atoll in September 1952, conducting ASW patrols to prevent Soviet submarine observation and serving as plane guard for the USS Rendova.
The Carpenter’s second Korean deployment included shore bombardment missions against gun positions in Hungnam harbor in 1953. Despite twelve rounds of 75-millimeter fire from shore batteries falling near the destroyer, the ship avoided both hits and casualties. She spent the next month screening fast carriers before conducting Formosa patrol operations with the USS Boxer and the USS New Jersey.
The ship patrolled the Taiwan Straits for thirteen days while communist China and Nationalist forces confronted each other, and in January 1955, she helped convoy Nationalist forces during the Tachen Islands evacuation. The destroyer continued regular Western Pacific deployments throughout the 1950s, conducting extensive ASW training, visiting the Philippines and Hong Kong ports, and operating with Royal Australian Navy vessels. In March 1957, she left Hawaii for goodwill visits throughout the South Pacific, stopping at American Samoa, Manus in the Admiralty Islands, and Sydney, Australia.
Cold War Operations
During the late 1950s, the Carpenter received two new 3-inch/70 “quick-firing anti-aircraft gun mounts for testing and evaluation while maintaining her pattern of Pearl Harbor-based operations, followed by Western Pacific deployments with Hunter-Killer ASW Groups. With nuclear-powered Soviet submarines raising concerns, the ship spent much of 1960 conducting intensive ASW training and aircraft carrier screening operations with the USS Yorktown, USS Hancock, and USS Ranger. She also acted as plane guard during President Eisenhower’s Far East diplomatic trip.
The Carpenter’s eighth Far East deployment in October 1960 included operations with 7th Fleet’s Hunter-Killer groups and deployment as part of the multi-carrier task force sent to the South China Sea to deter Communist guerrilla attacks against pro-American forces in Laos during North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao attempts to overthrow the Royal Laotian Government.
Following her return to Pearl Harbor in April 1961, the Carpenter entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard for ASW modernization. With a new helicopter flight deck and side-scanning SQS-32 sonar that improved submarine detection capabilities, her hull designation changed from DDE to DD-825.
The Vietnam War
The destroyer’s Vietnam War service began with a 7th Fleet deployment in July 1962, conducting ASW exercises and screening operations. Her combat operations included carrier screening duties, Search and Rescue missions in the Gulf of Tonkin, surveillance of communist Chinese-held Paracel Islands, and naval gunfire support missions. In April 1966, the Carpenter fired 318 5-inch rounds at enemy caves and bunkers supporting U.S. Army amphibious operations. Her July 1967 deployment included fourteen different fire missions against targets ashore, expending 1,012 rounds of 5-inch ammunition.[1]
The FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) conversion that the Carpenter underwent in 1964 gave the ship DASH drone anti-submarine helicopter support equipment, ASROC weapons systems, communication upgrades, radar and sonar improvements, and a single 5-inch/38 mount forward to replace problematic 3-inch/70 guns.
The destroyer’s final active duty deployments included multiple Vietnam tours through 1972, conducting plane guard services for various carriers, alongside Taiwan Straits picket duties and Yankee Station operations.
Final Years
Following major hull repairs at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard from 1972 to 1973, the USS Carpenter’s homeport switched to San Francisco. She joined the Naval Reserve Training Force and began running training cruises to Alaska and the Western Pacific, ASW exercises with Japanese destroyers, and joint exercises with Taiwanese naval forces.
In the mid-1970s, budget constraints restricted her operations to local training assignments, including plane guard duties, replenishment training, and escort services for nuclear submarines. After her final overhaul at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard from September 1976 to August 1977, the Carpenter continued reserve operations until being decommissioned in 1981. She was leased to the Republic of Turkey and served the Turkish Navy through the 1990s.[1]
The Dangerous Use of Asbestos on the USS Carpenter
At the time the USS Carpenter was built, military specifications mandated extensive use of asbestos throughout all Navy vessels. Converted Gearing-class destroyers like the Carpenter followed typical processes; from her commissioning through multiple conversion programs, asbestos-containing materials were used in nearly every aspect of the vessel’s infrastructure and operational systems. The Navy valued asbestos for its thermal insulation properties, fire-retardant characteristics, chemical resistance, and positive strength-to-weight ratios.
All these reasons for choosing the material were based on the protective benefits they provided for both military assets and human assets, and it wasn’t until years later that the Navy learned that their decision had led to devastating health consequences. Manufacturers could have prevented these tragic outcomes, but instead, they systematically concealed the scientific evidence they were receiving so that they could continue earning big profits.
Asbestos contamination existed in virtually every compartment and area of the USS Carpenter, with particularly high concentrations in heat-generating operational areas, including:
- Machinery Compartments: Engineering spaces contained massive quantities of asbestos insulation that protected boilers, steam turbines, pumps, condensers, and other high-temperature propulsion equipment essential for the ship’s operations.
- Safety Equipment: Firefighting apparatus, protective clothing, gloves, fire-resistant blankets, and emergency gear all relied on asbestos fibers for the heat-resistance and fire-prevention that they added.
- Pipe Distribution Networks: The vessel’s steam pipe system, exhaust routing, and utility conduits relied on asbestos insulation to control temperatures and protect crew members from contact burns with superheated surfaces.
- Structural Systems: Asbestos was incorporated in ship components ranging from gaskets and brake materials to electrical control panels, deck tiles, and overhead installations.
Naval Personnel Exposed to Asbestos on the USS Carpenter
When sailors served on the USS Carpenter and other Navy ships, they assumed that the greatest threat they’d face would come during battle. Decades later, we know that more Navy veterans’ health was impacted by asbestos exposure than by combat-related incidents. The ship’s company unknowingly faced continuous asbestos exposure as microscopic particles became airborne during maintenance operations and circulated from high-contamination areas through the ship’s ventilation systems.
When asbestos fibers enter the human body, whether by being inhaled or ingested, they can become stuck in the mesothelium — the organ that lines the pleural and peritoneal cavities. Like other foreign bodies, their presence triggers chronic inflammation that can result in cell death and potential genetic alterations. The long latency periods typical of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases — including pleural mesothelioma, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer — mean that this deadly process goes on for years without showing any symptoms, then suddenly manifests as severe health conditions 20 to 50 years following exposure.
Although all personnel aboard the USS Carpenter faced some degree of exposure risk, specific job assignments led to significantly elevated danger levels. Engineering department personnel, maintenance specialists, and damage control teams experienced the most intensive exposures, particularly when performing duties in inadequately ventilated spaces containing deteriorating asbestos materials.
Personnel at Greatest Risk of Asbestos Exposure on the USS Carpenter
While every crew member serving aboard the USS Carpenter faced potential asbestos exposure, certain naval specialties encountered dramatically increased hazard levels due to their work environments and daily responsibilities:
- Machinery Operators were assigned to maintain and operate the destroyer’s steam generation and propulsion systems, which required extensive insulation protection containing high concentrations of asbestos materials. These specialists frequently worked in cramped spaces where damaged insulation created clouds of dust filled with airborne asbestos fibers. They also wore and used protective gear when servicing superheated equipment, and it was often manufactured with asbestos.
- Pipefitters, plumbers, and maintenance technicians conducted regular repair work on the miles of steam distribution systems that ran throughout the destroyer. The most dangerous exposures occurred during replacement operations when they removed deteriorating thermal protection to access damaged piping components. This created intense concentrations of asbestos particles in the immediate work environment.
- Mechanical repair personnel serviced systems throughout the ship, including pumps, generators, and auxiliary machinery that required asbestos-containing gaskets, seals, and thermal barriers. Maintenance activities frequently meant disturbing these components, releasing concentrated fiber quantities directly into the area where they were working.
- Electrical technicians worked throughout the ship on electrical distribution networks that were covered in asbestos-containing coatings and insulation. Protective coverings on cables, control panels, and switching equipment often contained asbestos for fire prevention purposes. These specialists faced exposure during installation, troubleshooting, and repair activities.
- Shipyard workers who built, converted, and maintained the USS Carpenter encountered extreme exposure conditions while building Navy vessels, as well as during periodic overhaul operations. They fabricated, installed, and removed raw asbestos products throughout destroyers, often without any protective gear or warning of the danger they were surrounded by. This severe exposure environment affected thousands of civilian defense contractors over the vessel’s service lifetime.
Support for USS Carpenter Veterans Diagnosed with Mesothelioma
VA Claims
Former crew members of the USS Carpenter, along with shipyard personnel who participated in her construction, conversion, and repair, may have experienced significant asbestos exposure during their contact with the ship. This exposure carries a real risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma, as well as several other severe asbestos-related health conditions that tend to stay hidden until decades after their service years. Veterans who’ve been diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses may qualify for comprehensive compensation through Department of Veterans Affairs programs that have been specifically established to address service-connected disabilities.
Veterans who successfully navigate the VA claims process receive benefits, including specialized medical treatment at either VA healthcare facilities or authorized civilian medical centers with proven expertise in asbestos-related disease treatment. VA disability assessments typically place mesothelioma and related conditions at a 100% disability rating, which means that maximum compensation may be available for affected veterans and their qualified dependents whose applications are approved.
Litigation
Beyond federal benefits, Navy veterans who experienced asbestos exposure aboard the USS Carpenter may pursue compensation directly from manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos products that were throughout the ship. Though legal action can be time-consuming and intimidating, it’s common for companies to propose substantial financial settlements outside of court so they can avoid prolonged litigation and negative publicity. For cases that do go to trial, juries that are informed about asbestos companies’ knowledge of asbestos’s health often award considerable financial compensation to victims. Another option is to file a claim against the bankruptcy trust funds that numerous asbestos manufacturers seeking bankruptcy protection were ordered to create to compensate future exposure victims.
If you’re a veteran who served aboard the USS Carpenter and you’ve received a diagnosis of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases, talking with an experienced asbestos lawyer is important. These dedicated specialists will analyze your service and employment history, identify specific exposure incidents, determine who the liable manufacturers and distributors are, and provide a thorough evaluation of your available options. They can also help with VA benefits applications to ensure that you get all the service-connected disability compensation you rightfully earned through your naval service.
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