The USS Epperson (DD/DDE-719) was a Gearing-class destroyer that was part of the U. S. Navy fleet from 1949 to 1976. Like almost all vessels of her generation, the Epperson had insulation and other components made from asbestos installed throughout the vessel. The widespread use of this carcinogenic material led to serious long-term health issues for crew members and shipyard workers alike, including life-threatening diagnoses of mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and other debilitating respiratory disorders. These asbestos-related illnesses continue to affect veterans decades after their naval service.
About the USS Epperson
During her 27-year career, the USS Epperson played a pivotal role, setting sail for Pacific deployments in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts and patrolling strategic waters throughout Southeast Asia. Between wartime assignments, the Epperson maintained readiness through intensive training operations coordinated from her Hawaiian homeport of Pearl Harbor.
The USS Epperson was commissioned after World War II had been won, during America’s post-war fleet restructuring. The ship was one of the 98 Gearing-class destroyers whose construction was an enhancement and improvement on the abilities of the predecessor Allen M. Sumner class destroyers. The Gearings had extended hulls that made room for additional fuel reserves. The modest 14 feet of added length expanded the ships’ operational range while simultaneously improving internal compartmentalization. This had the effect of minimizing the impact of potential collision or torpedo damage to the ship. Despite these improvements, almost all of the Gearing class ships eventually underwent additional modifications throughout their service lives, with many of those focusing on adding anti-submarine capability enhancements and surveillance system upgrades to meet evolving Cold War threats.[1]
Reflecting this revised focus, the Epperson’s military career encompassed varied missions across multiple theaters. Following her commissioning, she initially participated in specialized anti-submarine warfare training near Key West before transferring to Pacific operations in August 1950. On November 7, 1950, she received the prestigious designation as flagship for Commander, Escort Division 12, highlighting her operational excellence. During Korean War deployments, the Epperson’s crew expertly executed carrier screening operations, coastal surveillance patrols, and shore bombardment missions. She also participated in coordinated hunter-killer exercises near Okinawa.[2]
Historical records note that the Epperson participated in a particularly hazardous assignment in early 1954 when the ship was assigned to maintain security patrols during sensitive thermonuclear testing operations in the Marshall Islands. The Epperson’s was 390’ long with a 41’ beam, 18′ draft, and 35-knot maximum speed capability. Her 2,425-ton displacement supported a complement of 336 sailors and officers. For combat operations, she carried six 5-inch guns, five 21-inch torpedo tubes, and multiple depth charge delivery systems. Throughout decades of service, thousands of naval personnel called this warship home, putting them at risk for exposure to the asbestos that permeated almost every area of the vessel.[1]
Construction and Updates to the Epperson
The Epperson’s history began at the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Kearny, New Jersey, a shipyard well known today for its extensive use of asbestos. The warship was named in memory of United States Marine Corps Private Harold Glenn Epperson, an Akron, Ohio native who enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in late 1942. Private Epperson demonstrated valor during several Pacific Island campaigns, leading to his combat unit receiving the Presidential Unit Citation for exemplary service during the Tarawa assault. While fighting on Saipan in June 1944, Private Epperson threw himself on an enemy grenade to protect his fellow Marines from the explosion. This act of heroism led to him posthumously being awarded America’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, and having the ship named for him.[2]
The ship was launched in December 1945, with Epperson’s mother, Mrs. J.B. Epperson, serving as the sponsor during christening rituals. She immediately entered temporary reserve status in December 1946 and was transferred to Bath Iron Works until January 1948, when naval authorities redesignated her as DDE-719 to reflect her new anti-submarine warfare role. Bath Iron Works completed the final outfitting work, leading to her formal commissioning in March 1949 under Commander T.H.W. Connor’s leadership.
In June of 1962, naval authorities returned the USS Epperson to her original designation of DD-719, again reflecting the ship’s changing mission priorities. After nearly three decades of distinguished service protecting American interests throughout the Pacific region, the USS Epperson’s operational career ended officials struck her name from the Naval Vessel Register on January 30, 1976.[2]
Deployment and Combat Service of the USS Epperson
The USS Epperson began her operational career conducting specialized training along America’s Atlantic coastline before transitioning to intensive anti-submarine warfare exercises at Key West beginning in December of 1949. The following summer, in August of 1950, she left for permanent reassignment to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After arriving in September, the ship integrated with Pacific Fleet operations, where she participated in coordinated exercises with diverse vessel types throughout Hawaiian waters before receiving her flagship designation in November 1950.[2]
The destroyer’s first Korean conflict deployment commenced on June 1, 1951, when she sailed directly into the combat theater. Her wartime responsibilities included protective screening for aircraft carrier task forces, coastal surveillance operations, shore target bombardment, and participation in coordinated hunter-killer exercises near Okinawa. She returned to Hawaii in November and was sent out for her second Korean combat tour from November 1952 through May 1953. The Epperson conducted similar missions while adding dangerous Taiwan Strait patrols and high-risk shore bombardment operations within contested Wonsan Harbor, directly engaging enemy coastal defense batteries.[2]
Following the Korean armistice, the Epperson maintained a rigorous deployment schedule throughout the Pacific region. Early 1954 saw her conducting sensitive security operations during nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. From June 1954 onward, she was sent on annual Western Pacific deployments through 1962. Her 1958-1959 cruise itineraries featured port calls at Manus, various Australian and New Zealand harbors, and American Samoa’s Pago Pago naval facility.[2]
As Southeast Asian tensions escalated, the USS Epperson became increasingly involved in Vietnam operations, conducting annual “West Pac Cruises” from 1962 continuously through 1973. These deployments included integrated operations with carrier task forces, coastal artillery missions against enemy positions, and North Korean maritime surveillance activities. The vessel’s combat contributions during the Korean conflict earned her five battle stars, recognizing significant service during major campaign operations.[2]
Asbestos Hazards Were Found Throughout the USS Epperson
Like almost all naval vessels constructed between the mid-1930s and early 1980s, the USS Epperson contained extensive amounts of asbestos materials throughout her structural and mechanical systems. Naval engineering specifications during this era prioritized asbestos for its superior thermal insulation properties, fire resistance characteristics, and lightweight composition. The material’s abundant availability and cost-effectiveness made it particularly attractive for shipbuilding applications, and despite mounting evidence of health hazards, the manufacturing corporations that worked with the military deliberately avoided issuing warnings about the material’s dangers. This meant that the U.S. Navy was one of the industry’s biggest customers, consistently selecting these materials for the crew safety and equipment protection benefits that it believed the mineral offered.
Asbestos contamination aboard the Epperson existed in multiple critical areas:
- Propulsion Compartments: Engineering spaces presented the highest asbestos concentration, particularly insulating steam turbines, boilers, and associated high-temperature components critical to vessel operation.
- Crew Protection Systems: Firefighting equipment, heat-resistant clothing, and emergency gear incorporated asbestos fibers to protect sailors during shipboard emergencies.
- Utility Infrastructure: Miles of steam pipes, water lines, and ventilation ducts throughout the vessel utilized asbestos wrapping and insulation materials.
- Critical Components: Numerous mechanical systems incorporated asbestos in valve packings, gaskets, electrical insulation, flooring compounds, and overhead insulation materials.
Health Implications for USS Epperson Crew Members
Military personnel assigned to the USS Epperson encountered constant, significant asbestos exposure risk throughout their service periods. The hazardous material was found throughout virtually every area of the ship, with routine maintenance, vibration from travel and battle, and normal deterioration releasing microscopic fibers into the vessel’s confined quarters and limited circulation system. When inhaled or ingested, asbestos’ needle-like fibers easily penetrate the cells of lung tissue and other organs. This can lead to progressive cellular damage, inflammation, scarring, and eventually to genetic alterations. Though some escaped illness, for many the biological changes caused by this exposure developed into serious health conditions decades after initial exposure: Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods of between 20 and 50 years.
While every Epperson crew member faced the potential health effects of this exposure, engineering personnel, boiler and engine room teams, and maintenance personnel working directly with asbestos-containing systems in confined, poorly ventilated areas experienced significantly higher levels of risk. Repair personnel were particularly vulnerable, as they were frequently assigned to maintain or fix steam propulsion systems, putting them in direct contact with high-temperature equipment and routinely disturbing asbestos insulation.
USS Epperson Crew Members’ Options for Compensation
Former crew members of the USS Epperson, as well as shipyard personnel assigned to her construction, overhaul, and repair, may have experienced substantial asbestos exposure. This exposure has the potential to result in delayed-onset health complications developing decades after their service was completed.
Veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related medical conditions following exposure during their time of service may qualify for specialized compensation programs administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Pursuing the VA claims process can result in the veteran receiving comprehensive benefits, including specialized medical treatment at either dedicated VA healthcare facilities or authorized civilian treatment centers specializing in asbestos-related diseases. VA disability guidelines have classified mesothelioma as a 100% disabling disease, leading to the maximum available compensation benefits for affected veterans.
Beyond programs provided by the government, crew members and shipyard workers sickened after exposure to asbestos on the USS Epperson may be eligible to take legal action, pursuing compensation directly from the companies that put them at risk. Manufacturers and distributors supplied asbestos products throughout the military supply chain with knowledge of their dangers, and as a result, many have been held legally responsible for the pain, sickness, and death that they caused. Filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit can lead to significant financial settlements or court-ordered judgments. Additionally, many of the asbestos product manufacturers that were driven into bankruptcy by their asbestos liabilities were required to set up asbestos bankruptcy trust funds specifically designated to compensate victims of their negligence.
If you are a USS Epperson veteran concerned about potential asbestos exposure or experiencing suspicious symptoms, start by seeking medical attention, and letting your healthcare practitioner know about your history of asbestos exposure. If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, consulting with an experienced asbestos attorney will provide you with essential information and resources. These experienced lawyers have deep knowledge of the laws surrounding asbestos exposure and the companies that have been responsible for placing asbestos products onto ships like the Epperson. They can evaluate your case, examine your service and occupational exposure timelines, identify companies whose products you’ve been exposed to based on your service chronology, and help you seek justice. They can help you accurately and efficiently complete your VA benefits applications and pursue legal proceedings against the companies responsible for your pain.
References
View All References
