The USS Charles R. Ware (DD-865) was a Gearing-class destroyer launched and commissioned in 1945. The ship served throughout the Cold War era, participating in numerous NATO operations and combat missions in Vietnam. Service aboard the ship exposed crew members to dangerous asbestos-containing materials that were integrated throughout its construction, leading to many veterans’ development of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
About the USS Charles R. Ware
The USS Charles R. Ware was constructed at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard on Staten Island, New York. The facility was highly respected for its wartime production capabilities; in later years, that production became associated with exposing numerous shipyard workers to asbestos during construction. The ship was laid down as part of the Gearing-class destroyer program and launched in April 1945.[1]
The Gearing-class Destroyers
As one of 98 Gearing-class destroyers built during and immediately after World War II, the USS Charles R. Ware represented significant design improvements over the Navy’s earlier destroyer classes. While these vessels featured several enhancements to their armament configurations, the most notable change was to their hulls, which were 14 feet longer than their predecessors. This seemingly minor modification substantially improved both operational range and cruising speed capabilities.[2]
The Charles R. Ware carried a complement of 367 officers and enlisted men and possessed. It had an operational range of 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots and displaced 2,425 tons when fully loaded. The ship was powered by advanced steam turbine propulsion systems and boilers manufactured by General Electric and Babcock & Wilcox, respectively. These systems, along with many of their components, including insulation and gaskets, contained significant amounts of asbestos, and the machinery spaces where they were housed had inadequate ventilation that created hazardous conditions for personnel assigned to these areas. This significantly increased their risk of developing malignant mesothelioma and related illnesses.
The Ship’s Namesake
The vessel was named in honor of Lieutenant Charles Rollins Ware. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lt. Ware graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1934 and served at sea on various ships until 1940, when he entered flight training. First assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in January 1941, he was transferred to the carrier USS Yorktown and then reassigned to the Enterprise in 1942. When the Battle of Midway erupted on June 4, Lieutenant Ware was reported missing in action after having courageously attacked the Japanese fleet. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions.[3]
Active Service and Tours of Duty
Initially assigned to the Norfolk Naval Yard as her home port, the ship’s first significant deployment came in March 1946, when she sailed to the Arctic to assist in developing cold-weather operational techniques. Her deployment included crossing the Arctic Circle. Through the late 1940s and 1950s, the USS Charles R. Ware completed multiple Mediterranean deployments with the 6th Fleet, demonstrating a strong American naval presence as Cold War tensions escalated. Some of her notable assignments included serving as a target vessel for submarine training operations off New London, Connecticut, and patrolling the Levant Coast for two weeks in 1949 under the United Nations Palestine Truce Commission direction.[1]
The destroyer participated in numerous NATO exercises throughout the 1950s, working alongside allied naval forces from the Royal Navy, Royal Hellenic Navy, and other partner nations. In 1956, she took Naval Academy midshipmen on summer training cruises to Northern Europe, and in 1957, she escorted King Saud of Saudi Arabia into New York harbor for his state visit.
One of her most historically significant missions came in 1959 during Operation “Inland Sea.” This was the first passage of naval forces through the Saint Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes. The Charles R. Ware also participated in a naval review on Lake Saint Louis attended by Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Between January 1961 and March 1962, the vessel underwent an extensive FRAM I (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) overhaul at the New York Naval Shipyard. This comprehensive modernization program enhanced her anti-submarine warfare capabilities, upgraded air detection equipment, and improved crew living spaces. Following FRAM I completion, she was reassigned to Mayport, Florida, as her new home port.[3]
In 1962, the USS Charles R. Ware participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade. In 1967, she deployed to Vietnam for the first time, traveling through the Panama Canal to enter the Pacific Ocean. As part of Task Force 77.1 during “Operation Sea Dragon,” she conducted nearly twenty missions to destroy North Vietnamese radar installations, firing 1,080 rounds at enemy targets while under fire herself on five occasions.
The ship was sent on Middle East Force deployments in 1968 and again in 1972. Her 1972-1973 deployment marked her first circumnavigation, a 207-day journey that included responding to a collision between two supertankers in the Gulf of Oman, where her crew rescued 31 survivors and provided medical treatment.
The USS Charles R. Ware was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list in July 1974, after nearly three decades of service. She was sunk as a target vessel in the Caribbean in 1981.[3]
Where Was Asbestos Found on the USS Charles R. Ware?
Between the 1930s and 1970s, the health dangers that we now associate with asbestos were largely unknown to military personnel and the public. While many manufacturers of asbestos-containing products were aware of the cancer risks, they often concealed or minimized this information in hopes of protecting their profits. This left the military believing that asbestos was a miracle mineral that would safeguard both personnel and equipment. The Navy specifically mandated its use in hundreds of shipboard applications due to its cost-effectiveness, widespread availability, superior fire resistance, and excellent thermal insulation properties.
Almost all naval vessels built during the 1940s were built using the mineral, and the USS Charles R. Ware was no exception. Following Navy construction standards, asbestos was integrated into virtually every section of the USS Charles R. Ware and comparable naval vessels. The mineral was used for insulating piping systems throughout the ship, in various adhesive compounds, flooring materials, deck surface treatments, and firefighting equipment and protective gear used by crew members. The highest concentrations were found in areas containing high-temperature machinery and steam-powered systems, including the engine compartments, boiler spaces, turbine rooms, and machinery areas, as both the equipment and those operating it needed maximum thermal protection.
Asbestos Exposure Risks to Charles R. Ware Crewmembers
Each year, approximately 3,500 Americans are given the devastating news that they have malignant mesothelioma. The rare, asbestos-related cancer is always fatal, and roughly one-third of those diagnosed are U.S. Navy veterans. This disproportionate representation is a direct result of the constant exposure to asbestos on Navy ships built before 1980, including the USS Charles R. Ware. While every service member aboard the vessel experienced exposure daily, those working in the ship’s engine rooms and other confined, high-temperature areas were exposed to the greatest concentration and risk.
When asbestos-containing materials degrade—whether through normal wear, physical damage, or maintenance activities like removing old insulation and replacing it with new—they become friable, meaning they crumble and release microscopic fibers. These fibers are invisible to the naked eye and so lightweight that they can remain airborne for hours. Easily inhaled, once these needle-like fibers enter the airway, they become embedded in tissue, making natural defenses like coughing fruitless. Over decades, these fibers cause inflammation and mutations that can cause asbestosis, various lung diseases, or in the most serious cases, asbestos-related cancers, including malignant pleural mesothelioma.
While airborne asbestos presented risks to all ship personnel, those facing the highest danger aboard the Charles R. Ware included:
• Personnel assigned to cramped engine and boiler rooms with inadequate ventilation systems
• Maintenance and repair techs who directly handled insulation and other asbestos-containing materials
In addition to being exposed by working with asbestos, many sailors breathed in asbestos fibers that were carried throughout the ship’s environment via the clothing, hair, and skin of their crewmates who worked in high-exposure areas. This extended the contamination into sleeping quarters, mess halls, and other duty stations throughout the vessel. The ship’s major FRAM I overhaul in the early 1960s, along with regular maintenance during port visits over the years, also exposed civilian shipyard workers to the mineral’s hazards.
Many veterans who served aboard the USS Charles R. Ware and received diagnoses of malignant mesothelioma have pursued legal action against the companies responsible for having placed asbestos into their shipboard environments. During a 2002 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on how to provide fair and efficient compensation to asbestos victims, Senator E. Benjamin Nelson of Nebraska recounted the story of one of his state’s residents, Mr. Val Johns, who had served aboard the USS Charles R. Ware as an electrician from 1957 to 1960. Exposed to asbestos pipe insulation aboard the destroyer, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 2000 and died in November 2001.[4]
According to the senator, Mr. Johns filed a lawsuit to pay his substantial medical bills and provide for his wife after his death, but all but one of the companies that sold the asbestos he was exposed to were bankrupt. As a result, the settlement he received for his family was a fraction of what it should have been. This hearing was among the first aimed at passing legislation to create a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund.[5] Though the measure failed, mesothelioma victims have other options.
Support and Compensation for Veterans with Mesothelioma
Health Monitoring
Navy veterans who served aboard or worked on the USS Charles R. Ware faced substantial asbestos exposure that put them in danger of being diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions. While most of those onboard the ship in her earliest days have passed, those who served in her later years have reason to worry about their future health. Even if you’re not experiencing symptoms, if you served on the Charles R. Ware or any Navy ship built between the 1930s and 1980, you should discuss your asbestos exposure history with your physician. Including this information in your medical records makes sure that healthcare providers will monitor any symptoms that arise and provide you with relevant screening. This enhanced surveillance increases the likelihood of early detection and prompt treatment that can significantly improve long-term outcomes.
VA Claims
Veterans who served on the USS Charles R. Ware and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease can submit a claim to the Department of Veterans Affairs for benefits and support. The VA has acknowledged that asbestos exposure during military service has contributed to many veterans’ illnesses and has designated malignant mesothelioma as a condition warranting a 100% disability rating. The VA offers comprehensive benefits to veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases who can demonstrate service-connected asbestos exposure, including disability compensation and specialized medical care from treatment facilities nationwide.
Seeking Legal Assistance for Asbestos Cases
Beyond VA benefits, mesothelioma victims may be eligible to pursue legal action against the companies that exposed them to asbestos. An experienced asbestos attorney can help you pursue justice for the harm you’ve suffered and provide security for your family. Working with a law firm experienced in asbestos litigation provides access to comprehensive records of previous claims, which help connect your service history with the asbestos suppliers that have already been identified for the ship.
Even companies that have declared bankruptcy due to previous asbestos liabilities may still provide you with compensation, as many were required to set up asbestos trust funds for future victims as a condition of being granted bankruptcy protection.
A mesothelioma attorney can explain the procedures for each of these compensation options and inform you about important deadlines known as statutes of limitations that limit the amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit. With professional legal assistance, you can make informed decisions that protect your rights and secure your family’s financial future.
References
View All References
