The USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853) was a Gearing class destroyer launched and commissioned in 1946. She participated in naval exercises and deployments for the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1973, playing an important role in demonstrating American strength. Like many other vessels constructed at that time, the Charles H. Roan contained asbestos throughout its structure and in its equipment and supplies. Many of the sailors who served onboard the ship have died from or are living with asbestos-related diseases, including malignant mesothelioma.
About the USS Charles H. Roan
The USS Charles H. Roan was built by the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, one of the three biggest shipbuilding companies in the U.S. at the time and one that has been linked to numerous cases of asbestos-related diseases among shipyard workers. Laid down in September of 1945 and launched in March of 1946, the ship was one of 98 Gearing-class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during and after World War II, a time when the U.S. military specifically required the use of asbestos in the belief that it provided the best protection for its assets and its personnel.
The ship was sponsored by the mother of Charles Harold Roan, a Marine Corps reservist who enlisted days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor at the age of 19 and was killed in action less than two years later. Roan was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for having thrown himself on a hand grenade to protect four of his fellow Marines.[1]
The Gearing-class destroyers were the result of multiple refinements during World War II. The ships lengthened the previous Allen M. Sumner class of destroyer by 14 feet to increase fuel bunkerage and improve internal subdivisions, providing greater endurance.[2] The ships had an operational range of 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots, carried a crew of 336, and displaced 3,460 tons when fully loaded.[3] It was propelled by General Electric geared steam turbines and boilers, all of which contained insulation, gaskets, and other parts made with asbestos. The use of this carcinogenic material was particularly damaging in tight, poorly ventilated spaces like engine and boiler rooms, and many sailors assigned to work in these areas were sickened by their exposure.
USS Charles H. Roan Active Service and Tours of Duty
The Charles H. Roan largely operated along the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean through 1960, running training exercises with aircraft carriers and submarines in convoy escort exercises and amphibious operations. On one of these missions off the coast of Bermuda, she collided with the USS Brownson during night-time operations, resulting in five crew deaths and several injuries. The collision caused significant damage to both vessels.[1]
The ship’s first overseas deployment occurred in 1948, when she was sent to the Mediterranean and later into the Persian Gulf. In 1954, she was sent on a round-the-world voyage, operating with the 7th Fleet in the Pacific and patrolling the Taiwan Straits. She was significantly involved in Mediterranean operations at that time, including responding to the 1956 Suez Crisis. She made multiple passages around the Cape of Good Hope and served as a flagship in the Middle East Force.[1]
The ship’s history includes participation in several historic operations, including the 1958 Lebanon crisis, providing support during the Taiwan Strait tensions, and participating in the first naval passage through the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959. In the early 1960s, she underwent FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) conversion, becoming one of the first ships to use DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopters).[1]
In the mid-1960s, the Charles H. Roan was part of the response to the Dominican Republic crisis and also conducted various Mediterranean deployments. During the Six-Day War in 1967, she provided support to U.S. Navy ships, including assisting a United States Navy technical research ship, the USS Liberty after it had been attacked by Israeli Air Force jet fighter aircraft and Israeli Navy motor torpedo boats.[1]
During the early 1970s, the Charles H. Roan circled the globe again, visiting the Port of Spain, Trinidad, Recife, Brazil, Karachi, Pakistan, and Midway Island, among other parts. Though she did enter Vietnamese territorial waters during this trip, she had no engagement in action in the area because of propeller damage she had suffered before arriving there. Upon returning to her home port of Newport, Rhode Island, she participated in a few local training exercises before being decommissioned in September 1973. She was recommissioned into the Turkish Navy as Maresal Fevzi Cakmak (D-351), where she took part in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, suffering heavy damage. She was scrapped in 1994.[1]
Where Was Asbestos Used on the USS Charles H. Roan?
As was true of almost all naval vessels during the war years, the construction of the Charles H. Roan made extensive use of asbestos. At that time, the mineral’s dangers were not widely known. Though many of the companies that provided asbestos-containing parts had received studies indicating that it was linked to cancer, they kept the information quiet in order to continue making profits, and the military requested its use due to its low cost, accessibility, and its excellent heat insulation and fire resistance. Its light weight, combined with these other characteristics, made it ideal for the needs of the Navy.
Though asbestos was found throughout the ship, it saw particularly heavy use in areas where heat-generating equipment and steam systems were housed — especially the engine rooms, boiler rooms, turbine rooms, and machine rooms. It was also found on pipe insulation. These areas were where insulation and heatproofing were needed the most, but the material was also hidden in parts and supplies ranging from adhesives and flooring to deck coatings and the firefighting and safety equipment worn by crew members.
How Were USS Charles H. Roan Sailors Exposed to Asbestos?
U.S. Navy veterans represent a significant portion of America’s mesothelioma victims, as well as of those diagnosed with other asbestos-related diseases. That sad statistic is due to the heavy use of asbestos on all Navy ships before 1980, including the USS Charles H. Roan. Occupational exposure like that suffered by sailors who worked in the ship’s confined spaces accounts for many illnesses and deaths.
When asbestos-containing materials deteriorate, whether through normal wear and tear, damage like that suffered during the USS Charles H. Roan’s collision, or during maintenance activities like replacing valves, gaskets, and other parts, it becomes friable. Friable asbestos breaks down into invisible microscopic fibers that are easily inhaled. Once they have entered the body, their needlelike ends become embedded in the body’s cells and are nearly impossible to expel. Over time, they can cause the scarring of asbestosis or other diseases, or they can mutate into the deadly tumors of asbestos-related lung cancer or malignant pleural mesothelioma.
- The risk of inhaling asbestos fibers was greatest for the sailors who worked in the confined, poorly ventilated engine rooms and boiler rooms aboard the USS Charles H. Roan.
- Maintenance and repair workers who manipulated asbestos-containing materials like pipe insulation were also at high risk.
- Workers in the shipyards that built, upgraded, and repaired the ship were also exposed to asbestos.
Lawsuits Filed by Veterans Sickened by Asbestos on the USS Charles H. Roan
Many of those who served aboard the Charles H. Roan during her years of service were exposed to asbestos and later diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Several of them have pursued legal action against the companies that provided the contaminated material and parts, including:
- Linda Hammell, the widow of a Naval Reserve veteran, filed suit against both Westinghouse and Foster Wheeler for her late husband’s mesothelioma death. Arthur Hammell had served on the USS Charles H. Roan while the vessel was undergoing rehabilitation and overhaul at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, as well as at sea. His responsibilities included boiler maintenance, as well as repairing forced draft blowers and other equipment with parts made from asbestos.
- A New York jury awarded Navy veteran Douglas Pokorney $5 million in damages after hearing the details of his asbestos exposure onboard the USS Charles H. Roan. The lawsuit filed against Foster Wheeler detailed how Mr. Pokorney had enlisted in 1962 as a boiler technician and was exposed to the company’s boilers during his four years in the service.[4]
Benefits and Compensation Available to Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
Sailors aboard the USS Charles H. Roan served with distinction, unaware that materials contained on the vessel were putting them at risk of asbestos exposure, which could later lead to serious illnesses or death. While some crew members were more heavily exposed than others because of their onboard responsibilities, all of them were at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases and continue to be.
If you’re a veteran who served on the USS Charles H. Roan and you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, there’s a very good chance that your service may have contributed to your condition. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has rated malignant mesothelioma as 100% disabling, meaning that if you can prove you were exposed to asbestos during your service, you can qualify for the highest level of disability compensation, as well as for specialized healthcare from treatment centers and physicians across the country. If you’re healthy and you served onboard the ship, it’s a good idea to notify your physician of your history of asbestos exposure so they can monitor you for symptoms and act quickly should any appear.
An experienced mesothelioma attorney can help you navigate the process of filing a VA claim, giving you the best chance to access the support and resources you deserve. They can also help you pursue compensation from the companies that supplied asbestos to the U.S. military. Working with an asbestos attorney or law firm, you could file a lawsuit to seek a settlement. If the companies responsible for your exposure are bankrupt, you may still qualify for compensation through an asbestos trust fund claim.
A diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is life-changing, and many veterans who go through the experience want to take time to deal with the reality of their situation. It’s important to consult with an attorney as soon as you can, as legislators have established deadlines for filing claims after the time you’re diagnosed. A mesothelioma attorney can explain this and all other aspects of the legal process so that you can preserve your rights and make an informed decision.
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