The USS Frontier (AD-25) was a Klondike-class destroyer tender built by the U.S. Navy in the years following World War II. The ship was active during the Korean War, in the Far East, and off the coast of California during her years of use. Like other vessels built during the years between World War I and the 1980s, the Frontier was constructed and supplied with asbestos-containing materials, putting those whose service included time onboard at risk for malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.
About the USS Frontier
The USS Frontier was a destroyer tender, designated AD-25. She was ordered built by the U.S. Navy as part of a fleet of auxiliary ships designed to provide maintenance and supply support to America’s fleet of destroyers. The vessel was one of four Klondike class destroyer tenders that were built after the end of World War II.
Klondike Class Destroyers Tenders and Asbestos
The Klondike-class destroyer tenders were built following an order from the Auxiliary Vessels Board, which had originally requested that they be converted from existing C-3 class cargo ships. When the Maritime Commission proved unwilling to divert those vessels from its merchant ship program, the Navy decided to build the tenders as new ships. After a series of shipyards proved unable to deliver the ships in time for the original 1944 target date, the Navy assigned the construction job to the Todd Shipyards, Corporation, a shipbuilder notorious for its use of asbestos. The Frontier and her sister ships were built in the company’s San Pedro, California, location.[1]
To save time, labor, and money, the Navy determined that the destroyer tenders should be built using the same plans that had been used to convert C-3 freighters into destroyer tenders. Those plans made structural changes that included providing space for additional water, accommodations, boats or rafts for a larger Navy crew, signaling equipment, and foundations for machine guns. The destroyer tenders’ mission was to overhaul, repair, and replenish destroyers as needed.[2]
The Klondike class displaced 16,635 tons when fully loaded. Measuring 492 feet long, she carried a complement of 48 officers and 778 enlisted men and was able to reach a speed of 18.4 knots powered by a single General Electric geared turbine, two Babcock and Wilcox D-type boilers, and double General Electric Main Reduction Gear Ship’s Service generators.[3]
Construction and Deployment of the USS Frontier
The USS Frontier was laid down in August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. George M. Ravenscroft, and commissioned in March 1946. After completing her shakedown cruise, the USS Frontier spent the rest of 1946 supporting various units of the 1st Fleet. Her first overseas deployment took her to the Far East, where she operated with Service Division 32 in Yokosuka from January to May 1947. Following this mission, she underwent inactivation at Long Beach, California, and was decommissioned in September 1947.[4]
In November 1951, Frontier was recommissioned under the command of Captain E. B. Patterson and prepared for service with United Nations forces in Korea. In May 1952, she set sail for Yokosuka, where she provided logistical and operational support to various units and the 7th Fleet until December. After undergoing an overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, she embarked on her third Western Pacific deployment, once again serving as a tender for 7th Fleet ships and acting as the flagship for Destroyer Flotilla 3. She returned to Long Beach in December 1953.[4]
In February 1954, Frontier participated in Pacific training exercises and maneuvers with Task Group 12.3. Following a refit in Long Beach, she deployed once more to the Far East, returning home in December 1954. Through May 1955, she continued supporting various units in the Long Beach area before returning to Yokosuka, where she again served as the flagship for Commander, Destroyer Flotilla 3. After another overhaul in San Francisco, she was deployed to the Western Pacific as the flagship of Commander, Destroyer Flotilla Western Pacific, from October 1956 to March 1957.[4]
In February 1958, Frontier left Long Beach, California making stops in Pearl Harbor, Melbourne, and several other ports while providing support to fleet units. She returned to eastern waters from September 1959 to March 1960 when she resumed her role as the flagship of Destroyer Flotilla 3, remaining in Long Beach to provide services until she was sent to Pearl Harbor in January 1961.[4]
After years of service, Frontier was decommissioned in June 1968. She was officially struck from the Naval Register in December 1972 and transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal.
Where Was Asbestos Used on the USS Frontier?
Ships built between the 1930s and 1980s made extensive use of asbestos, and this was especially true of Navy ships. This “magic mineral,” as it was often called, was highly valued for its excellent heat insulation, the structural reinforcement it provided, its fire resistance, and its lightweight properties. Add to that its accessibility and cost-effectiveness and it is no wonder that the U.S. military favorited it in over 300 applications, and particularly its maritime needs. Asbestos provided crucial benefits for shipbuilding, and for destroyer tenders like the USS Frontier, asbestos served as an insulator as well as additional protection for the military’s most valued assets: Its service members and its ships. It took decades for the Navy to learn what the asbestos companies that provided the material had long known — that the material carried dangerous health effects.
The USS Frontier’s shipboard environment contained asbestos throughout, from the insulation in its boilers and turbines to the ceiling and floor tiles in crew quarters and the mess. The area where asbestos was most heavily concentrated was in the ship’s heat-generating area, which included:
- Engine rooms
- Boiler rooms
- Turbine rooms
- Machine rooms
- Pipe insulation
In addition to these integral areas of the ship, asbestos was found in fireproofing materials onboard the ship, as well as supplies like ropes and the ship’s hulls and bulkhead walls.
USS Frontier Veterans Exposed to Asbestos
Due to the widespread use of asbestos on Navy ships, veterans of the U.S. Navy are the largest population group diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses in the country. The sailors who served on the USS Frontier carried out their duties in an environment that contained high levels of this carcinogenic substance, putting every sailor who inhaled or ingested the microscopic fibers at risk for these debilitating and often fatal diseases.
As was true of all Navy ships, the cramped living and working spaces on the Frontier had poor ventilation. This heightened the danger for all personnel, no matter their shipboard responsibilities. Those at highest risk included engineering crews working with machinery in the engine and boiler compartments and maintenance personnel responsible for servicing turbines, pipe insulation, and other ship components. There was also a significant risk to the shipyard workers tasked with maintaining, upgrading, and repairing the ship when she was being overhauled while in port.
In one example of a sailor being impacted by shipboard asbestos exposure, Chloyde Pelton and his wife Shirley recently filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against John Crane, Inc. for having exposed the Navy veteran to the asbestos-containing materials they supplied on the Frontier. Mr. Chloyde served on multiple vessels between 1959 and 1963. He was a pipefitter and shipfitter on the Frontier, as well as the USS Lyman K. Swenson and the USS Pritchett. In testimony submitted for his claim, Mr. Chloyde described using a wire brush to remove old gaskets and packing, and said his work on those parts created “lots of dust in the air.” He described this aspect of his job as “dirty work.” A retired U.S. Navy captain, a medical expert, and an industrial hygienist all provided additional testimony about the extent of the asbestos that he would have been exposed to in his work onboard the ships.
Benefits and Compensation for Navy Veterans
Military personnel in all branches in the years before the 1980s are at risk for asbestos exposure, but this is especially true of those who served on Navy ships. These veterans, including those who served on the USS Frontier, encountered dangerous concentrations of asbestos during their service. The pervasive use of the toxic mineral in naval construction potentially exposed nearly all crew members to this dangerous substance, and many have already been lost or are suffering severe long-term health effects. Others may still be at risk, as it can take more than half a century for symptoms to appear.
Veterans who’ve been diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions are not without recourse. There are several ways to pursue both assistance and compensation. The most obvious resource is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which has classified malignant mesothelioma as a 100% disabling condition. The VA offers specialized care for mesothelioma patients at many of its medical centers and also has made care at non-governmental hospitals available. The VA also provides other disability benefits, including paying some asbestos victims the maximum disability compensation available.
Get Help from a Mesothelioma Lawyer
Beyond assistance from the VA, Navy veterans may pursue litigation. Though they are unable to sue the government itself, many veterans have successfully held the corporations that supplied the military with the asbestos-containing materials accountable for their exposure. Contacting a mesothelioma lawyer provides the benefit of experienced professionals who possess extensive resources to identify the specific companies responsible for exposure aboard the Frontier.
Asbestos attorneys are empathetic legal experts who can assist you in filing a personal injury claim against the businesses that provided asbestos to the Navy, and the opportunity for compensation extends beyond going to court. An attorney can negotiate a settlement with asbestos companies, and you may also be eligible to submit claims against asbestos trust funds established by companies that have filed for bankruptcy due to their substantial asbestos liability. Although compensation from these funds is lower than that obtained through litigation, it is accessible without delay.
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