The USS Hanson (DD-832/DDR-832) was a Gearing-class destroyer that served the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1973. The ship participated in major conflicts from the Korean War through the Vietnam War. Though the ship and her crew received many commendations, its legacy is complicated by numerous cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases among her crew members, caused by the widespread use of asbestos-containing materials throughout the vessel.
About the USS Hanson
The USS Hanson was constructed at Bath Iron Works Corporation in Bath, Maine, a shipyard known for its destroyerproduction during World War II. The ship was launched in March 1945 and commissioned the following May under the command of Commander John C. Parham. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. Harry A. Hanson, mother of the vessel’s namesake.[1]
The USS Hanson’s Namesake
The USS Hanson was named after Medal of Honor recipient Marine Lieutenant Robert Murray Hanson. After joining the Marine Corps at the outbreak of World War II, Lieutenant Hanson became a fighter pilot with the 25th Marine Fighting Squadron. He achieved quintuple ace status by shooting down 26 Japanese aircraft, including 20 planes in six consecutive flying days. His courage earned him the Medal of Honor, Air Medal, and Navy Cross. Lieutenant Hanson was lost in action when his aircraft crashed into the sea over Rabaul, New Britain, in February 1944.[1]
The Ship’s Design and Specifications
As a Gearing-class destroyer, the USS Hanson incorporated significant improvements over earlier Fletcher-class destroyers. The 98 Gearing destroyers featured hulls that had been extended by 14 feet compared to the previous Allan M. Sumner class. This enhanced both their operational range and cruising speed. With a displacement of 2,425 tons and measuring 390 feet 6 inches in length, the vessels could accommodate a crew of 367 personnel and were equipped with armament that included six 5-inch guns, multiple 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft weapons, and five 21-inch torpedo tubes, giving them impressive firepower for their size.[2]
USS Hanson Service History and Deployments
Early Years
Following her Caribbean shakedown cruise and conversion to a radar picket destroyer at Boston Navy Yard, the USS Hanson deployed to the Pacific in November 1945. Her initial assignment involved supporting occupation forces in Japan and conducting fleet exercises off the Chinese coast in September 1946.[1]
The ship transferred to the Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk in February 1947, where she conducted training operations along the East Coast before her first Mediterranean deployment with the 6th Fleet in January 1948. Redesignated as DDR-832 (radar picket destroyer) in March 1949, the Hanson played crucial diplomatic roles during her second Mediterranean tour in 1949, serving as station ship for the United Nations General Assembly at Rhodes, witnessing Greece’s taking back of control over the contested Dodecanese Islands, and transporting UN mediator Dr. Ralph Bunche to Beirut for Israeli peace negotiations.
Korean War Service
When tensions arose in Asia in 1950, the USS Hanson joined the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor to prepare for Korean War operations. Her first combat deployment included participation in the Inchon amphibious assault of September 1950, as well as providing fire support during the successful evacuations of Hungnam and Wonsan before Christmas.
During her second Korean combat cruise from September 1951 to May 1952, the Hanson operated along the country’s east coast, conducting strategic shore bombardments in support of ground forces, providing highly effective gunfire against enemy positions. The destroyer also participated in the Formosa Patrol and visited Hong Kong in December 1951.
In December 1952, the Hanson was deployed to Korean waters again to perform task force operations, screening fast carriers launching air strikes against enemy supply lines and positions. She engaged in shore bombardment, search-and-rescue operations, and patrol duties before returning to the United States in July 1953, shortly before the armistice. For her Korean War service, Hanson earned eight battle stars.
Cold War Operations
After the Korean War, the Hanson was sent on six-month deployments with the 7th Fleet every year. These deployments included tactical exercises with U.S. and allied forces, intensive antisubmarine training, and port visits throughout Asia and Australia.
In fall 1958, Hanson patrolled the Formosa Straits within sight of Communist China during the Quemoy and Matsu crisis. She participated in annual Australian Battle of the Coral Sea commemorations in 1962 and 1963, honoring the Pacific’s first carrier naval engagement.
Following redesignation back to DD-832 in spring 1964, Hanson underwent Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization at Mare Island, which was completed in December 1964. This conversion extended her operational effectiveness for future conflicts.
Vietnam War Service
The USS Hanson was sent on six deployments to the Vietnam War, from 1965-1972; her final tour included one of the war’s most intense naval combat experiences. During her first, in summer 1965, she conducted shore bombardments and patrol operations through autumn.
Her second deployment began in July 1966. She anchored in the Saigon River in September and operated primarily in the combat zone until January 1967. During this period, the Hanson fired over 9,000 rounds at Communist targets, mostly supporting ground forces. She also performed plane guard duty, coastal patrols against infiltration, and helicopter refueling operations.[1]
The ship’s most significant service occurred during her sixth deployment. Beginning in April 1972, she began responding to the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive. Her final tour included participation in Operation Custom Tailor in May 1972, which represented the most formidable cruiser/destroyer force in the Western Pacific since World War II. Notably, the Hanson was both the last U.S. naval vessel to enter Haiphong harbor before mining operations and the last to exit.
Throughout 1972, the Hanson endured grueling combat conditions with continuous nightly raids from sunset to sunrise during May and June. The operational tempo kept her crews awake approximately 22 hours daily. Despite sustaining multiple hits from North Vietnamese artillery, including damage to her water purification system and over 140 shrapnel holes in her superstructure, the Hanson maintained operational effectiveness.
Her most dramatic action occurred in September of that year, during the relief of Mộ Đức District, where 1,000 enemy infantry threatened to overrun 120 ARVN troops and two Americans. Racing through minefields and coral reefs, the Hanson coordinated with Air Force OV-10 forward air controllers to provide crucial artillery support. The effort helped save 21 defenders, though Staff Sergeant Carroll Jackson was lost.
For her exceptional 1972 service, including the accurate gunfire support that saved Mộ Đức from capture and her effective participation in Operation Custom Tailor, the USS Hanson received the Meritorious Unit Commendation.[3]
The Hanson was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in March 1973. The ship was transferred to the Republic of China in April 1973.
Asbestos Contamination Throughout the USS Hanson
Similar to virtually every naval vessel constructed during the World War II era (and continuing through the 1970s), the USS Hanson’s construction included an extensive amount of asbestos-containing materials. Though today we know that the mineral is carcinogenic, during that time, the military had good reason for actively specifying asbestos use in naval applications. The Navy valued asbestos for its exceptional fire resistance, thermal insulation properties, affordability, and widespread availability, making it seem ideal for maritime environments. Manufacturers, though, knew asbestos health risks, and chose to conceal this information from the public and military to continue earning profits.
Asbestos was present throughout the USS Hanson, integrated into numerous ship systems and components. Piping throughout the vessel was wrapped or sprayed with asbestos insulation, and the material was an integral ingredient in various adhesives and bonding agents, flooring materials and deck surfacing compounds, and personal protective equipment and firefighting gear used by crew members. The highest concentrations of asbestos were found in areas housing high-temperature equipment and steam systems, including the engine compartments, boiler rooms, turbine spaces, and machinery areas where thermal protection was considered to be most critical.
Crew Exposure Risks Aboard the USS Hanson
Approximately 3,500 Americans receive mesothelioma diagnoses annually, with roughly one-third being U.S. Navy veterans. This disproportionate representation is a direct result of the extensive use of asbestos on naval vessels built before 1980, including the USS Hanson.
Those assigned to engine and boiler compartments with inadequate ventilation and other cramped, high-temperature spaces faced particularly high risk of asbestos exposure, and so did maintenance crews who directly handled asbestos-containing materials such as pipe insulation systems. Still, the carcinogenic material spread throughout the vessel via the hair, clothing, and skin of workers emerging from these high-exposure areas, introducing dangerous fibers into living quarters, mess halls, and other duty stations ship-wide. This meant that even those who had no direct contact with the material could still inhale or ingest the dangerous fibers.
What Makes Asbestos So Dangerous?
Though asbestos materials bound in materials like vinyl floor tiles or electrical wiring are considered “non-friable” because they don’t easily become airborne, they become “friable” through normal wear and tear, physical damage, or maintenance activities. This means they are easily crumbled into microscopic fibers with sharp, needle-like ends that can float in the air and be unknowingly inhaled. Once that happens, they can become embedded in the cells of tissue, where they can’t be dislodged by coughing or the body’s other natural defenses. After decades, these fibers make themselves known in the form of asbestosis, pleural diseases, or severe cases of asbestos-related cancers, including malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Multiple veterans who served aboard the USS Hanson have subsequently developed asbestos-related diseases, including malignant mesothelioma, demonstrating the tragic health consequences of widespread naval asbestos use during this era. The health risks extended beyond ship personnel to include shipyard workers involved in the vessel’s multiple overhauls and routine maintenance while in port.
Those affected in this way included:
- Navy veteran Thomas Hall served aboard the USS Hanson as a boiler maker between 1966 and 1969. He filed suit against multiple asbestos companies after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma.[4]
- Phillip Hoeffer was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 74. The retired electrician had served on the USS Hanson before his honorable discharge in 1955. He filed a lawsuit against several companies whose asbestos-containing products he was exposed to while on the ship, testifying that he’d had constant contact with electrical equipment, cleaning parts with emery cloth and maintaining the equipment. He said that part of his responsibilities included abrading phenolic plastic parts, which released asbestos. He also demonstrated that the operation of the equipment generated airborne asbestos due to friction and wear from moving parts. The equipment he worked with included Westinghouse panels, Cutler Hammer panels, and Allen Bradley switches, all of which contained molded parts.[5]
Support and Financial Relief for Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
Navy veterans who served aboard the USS Hanson faced substantial asbestos exposure throughout the vessel, and as a result, they are at risk of long-term health outcomes, including mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions.
Even if you’re in good health, if you’re a veteran who served on the USS Hanson or any Navy ship built between the 1930s and 1980, it’s a good idea for you to discuss your asbestos exposure history with your physician. Including this information in medical records helps healthcare providers respond quickly to asbestos-related disease symptoms, increasing the likelihood of early detection and prompt treatment that can significantly improve long-term outcomes.
If you served on the USS Hanson and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you can benefit from seeking help from an experienced mesothelioma attorney, who can guide you through all of the options available to you.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is aware that military service has played a role in many veterans’ asbestos-related diseases. It has designated malignant mesothelioma as a 100% disabling condition and provides comprehensive benefits to veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases who demonstrate service-related asbestos exposure and its link to their illnesses. Filing a VA claim can provide disability compensation, specialized medical care from VA treatment centers nationwide, and more.
Legal Action
A skilled asbestos attorney can help you pursue justice for the harm you’ve suffered as a result of having been exposed to asbestos. Legal professionals can assist in seeking compensation from manufacturers who supplied asbestos-containing materials to the military and specifically to the USS Hanson. Law firms that specialize in asbestos litigationhave comprehensive records of asbestos claims filed against virtually every asbestos company and defendant. This information helps your attorney connect your specific service history with asbestos companies known to have supplied your vessel, as well as anywhere else you may have been exposed.
Many veterans worry about whether the asbestos companies that made or supplied carcinogenic materials decades ago still exist. Fortunately, many of the companies that have declared bankruptcy due to asbestos-related liabilities have established dedicated asbestos trust funds to benefit those they harmed, so you may still be able to get compensation from them.
A mesothelioma attorney can explain each of the options available to you, the procedures involved, and what you can expect. They’ll also explain the statutes of limitations that apply to your case, and which create deadlines for filing a claim. With professional legal guidance, you can make informed decisions that protect your rights and secure your family’s financial future.
References
View All References
