USS McCaffery and Asbestos

The USS McCaffery (DD-860) was a Gearing-class destroyer that served with honor, participating in Korean and Vietnam War missions as well as in the quarantine of Cuba and several space recovery assignments. The McCaffery was among the last vessels for which the military mandated the inclusion of asbestos. The widespread incorporation of this dangerous mineral throughout the ship put countless crew members and shipyard workers in jeopardy of developing mesothelioma and other disabling conditions.

About the USS McCaffery

The Ship’s Namesake

The USS McCaffery honored the memory of Lt. Col. Joseph P. McCaffery, USMC. Born in 1906 in Chester, Pennsylvania, McCaffery accepted a Marine Corps Reserve commission in March 1929 after previously holding an Army Reserve commission from 1927. A combat veteran of Guadalcanal and New Georgia, he was killed at Cape Torokina, Bougainville, in November 1943, while courageously leading his Marine Raider battalion against fortified Japanese positions. His heroism and leadership led to the posthumous award of the Navy Cross, as well as the naming of the ship.[1]

Gearing-class Destroyers

The USS McCaffery was one of the 98 Gearing-class destroyers constructed for the U.S. Navy. Like her sister ships in the Gearing class, the McCaffery featured an improved design; a 14-foot hull extension that addressed the limitations that had plagued their predecessor, the Allen M. Sumner class. The seemingly minor addition provided space for 160 more tons of fuel and extending operational range by 30 percent. It also facilitated better machinery placement and improved balance.[2]

The USS McCaffery displaced 2,425 tons and measured 390 feet 6 inches in length, with a beam of 41 feet 1 inch and a draft of 18 feet 6 inches. Her armament consisted of 6 x 5-inch guns, 4 x 40mm anti-aircraft guns, 5 x 21-inch torpedo tubes, 6 depth charges, 2 depth charge tracks, and 1 depth charge projector (hedgehog). Manned by a complement of 367 enlisted men and officers, she could achieve speeds of 34.5 knots.

Construction and Commissioning

The USS McCaffery (DD-860) was laid down in October 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Company’s Shipbuilding Division in San Pedro, California. She was launched in April 1945 after being sponsored by Miss Patricia McCaffery, niece of Lt. Col. Joseph P. McCaffery. She was commissioned in July 1945, with Commander Benjamin B. Cheatham, USN, in command.[1]

Service and Deployment History of the USS McCaffery

Early Years

Following her west coast fitting out and shakedown period, the McCaffery left for Hawaii in October 1945 for additional training. In January 1946, she sailed for the western Pacific, stopping at Guam to pick up and transport $6 million for NavGroupChina at Shanghai. After arriving at the mouth of the Yangtze River in February, she delivered her cargo and proceeded to Tsingtao the following day. From there, she conducted escort duties and operational training in the China and Japanese Seas until departing for home at the end of January 1947, arriving in San Francisco in February.

The destroyer continued west coast operations until that December, when she again departed for the western Pacific. By February 1948, the McCaffery was operating off Tsingtao, where she rescued 18 survivors of the Chinese merchantman Ming Sing. For the next five months, she conducted training and search and rescue operations between Okinawa and the Chinese mainland.

In January 1949, the McCaffery entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard for conversion to an escort destroyer (DDE). These conversions enhanced the Gearing-class destroyers’ anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, and included removing or replacing some of the original armament, like torpedo tubes, and adding ASW weapons such as Hedgehog or Weapon Alpha. Some conversions also involved replacing the forward torpedo tube mount with a tripod mast for radar and other systems. These operations required significant handling of asbestos-containing equipment, putting both shipyard workers performing the work and those still living on the ship at risk of exposure.

Following the completion of her alterations, the McCaffery sailed to Newport, Rhode Island, for Atlantic Fleet duty and was officially redesignated DDE-860 in April 1950 while participating in anti-submarine warfare operations.

Korean War Service

In July 1950, McCaffery sailed for the Mediterranean with CortDiv 61, but her orders changed while en route. Instead, she proceeded to the Far East with the light cruiser Worcester, arriving at Okinawa, where she operated with the Formosa Strait patrol from August to October. In November, she rendezvoused with the fast carrier force TF 77 in the Sea of Japan off the Korean coast, and for the next three months performed plane guard and screening duties as carrier aircraft conducted raids against enemy troop concentrations and transportation and communication networks.[1]

Post-War Operations

The McCaffery returned to Newport in March 1951. She received two battle stars for her Korean service. For the next several years, the McCaffery was assigned alternately to the 2nd and 6th Fleets. The vessel spent most of her time engaged in hunter-killer exercises, completing five cruises to the Mediterranean, one to northern Europe for NATO exercises, and one to South America for training with Venezuelan, Brazilian, Uruguayan, and Argentine naval units.

In November 1958, McCaffery joined Task Group Bravo, a permanent hunter-killer group. During the next 2½ years, her operations ranged from Newfoundland to the Caribbean, interrupted by midshipmen summer cruises to Bermuda in 1959 and the Mediterranean in 1960, and a brief tour as the DesLant engineering school ship in fall 1960.

In 1961, following an unsuccessful attempt to rescue personnel from Texas Tower No. 4 and spring operations in the Caribbean, she underwent a seven-month FRAM overhaul at New York, including the addition of equipment for the Drone Antisubmarine Helicopter. This overhaul also disturbed a significant amount of asbestos.

Cold War Service

Once her overhaul was completed in 1962, the McCaffery sailed to her new home port of Mayport, Florida. She was reclassified DD-860 in June 1962, and after refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, deployed to the Mediterranean in April for six months. She returned on October 2, only to leave three weeks later to join other Atlantic Fleet units in maintaining the quarantine during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Over the next three years, McCaffery conducted operational training along the East Coast and in the Caribbean. She also served as the communications relay ship for the Mercury space shot in May 1963, provided services to the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, and completed three overseas deployments. In 1963, her deployment took her to the Mediterranean for AAW/ASW training with Greek, Turkish, and British forces; in 1964 to northern Europe on a midshipmen summer cruise; and in 1965 to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf for CENTO operations with British and Iranian ships.

Vietnam Service

McCaffery spent 1966 in the western Atlantic, participating in two space project recovery missions (Gemini IX and XII) and Fleet Sonar School training before undergoing intense training and fire support exercises in preparation for 7th Fleet deployment. In February 1967, she departed Mayport for duty in the western Pacific. From her arrival off the coast of Vietnam in March until her departure in August, she provided naval gunfire support along the South Vietnamese coast, acted as plane guard and screen for the USS Enterprise, participated in Sea Dragon operations off the North Vietnamese coast, and performed antisubmarine patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin. After returning to Mayport in September, she resumed operations with the 2nd Fleet, and after being decommissioned in September 1973, she was sold for scrapping.

How Was Asbestos Used Aboard the USS McCaffery?

Asbestos-containing materials were used extensively in the building of the USS McCaffery.  Because the dangers of the material weren’t known to the military at that time, its inclusion was standard shipbuilding practice. This naturally occurring mineral was highly valued for its exceptional durability and was particularly sought after during the World War II period and the decades that followed due to its superior thermal resistance and fire-retardant properties, as well as its low cost and easy access. This widespread approach ultimately proved fatal for many of the Navy veterans who served on boats built between the 1930s and 1980s, as their exposure to the toxic substance led to their developing asbestos-induced illnesses.

Years later, it was revealed that many manufacturers and suppliers of these hazardous materials were aware of the health dangers associated with their products but did not inform the Navy. With military leadership uninformed about these risks, it ordered the material used in over 300 different applications for both personnel safety and equipment preservation.

Navy ships incorporated asbestos in countless ways:

• Engine and Furnace Areas: These locations contained the highest concentrations of contamination aboard vessels, as the heat-producing machinery they housed needed to be heavily insulated against heat and potential fires.
• Protective Gear: Due to its ability to strengthen materials while offering thermal protection, asbestos was woven into sailors’ safety garments and gloves, as well as asbestos blankets used to protect them against friction and heat from equipment. It also appeared in fire suppression tools and apparatus.
• Conduit Insulation: Asbestos thermal insulation was both wrapped around and sprayed onto pipes and plumbing networks throughout the ships.
• Other Components: Multiple elements of the ship, including seals, control mechanisms, floor and ceiling materials, and walls, incorporated asbestos for enhanced durability, insulation, and sound absorption.

Who Faced Asbestos Exposure on the USS McCaffery?

From enlisted sailors to commissioned officers, virtually every person aboard the USS McCaffery was put at risk by the often-invisible asbestos fibers floating in the air around them. The toxic substance was included in hundreds of applications, and any damage or manipulation to items or materials that contained it could result in particles becoming airborne. 

When suspended in the air, these minuscule fragments could readily be breathed in or swallowed, and once inside the human body, their needle-edged fibers can lodge within the cells of lung tissue and the protective membrane surrounding the chest cavity. These embedded fibers prove nearly impossible for the body’s natural defenses to eliminate, and years later, the unseen cellular destruction or genetic changes can lead to serious medical conditions, including deadly mesothelioma. Many asbestos-induced illnesses remain dormant for decades following initial contact.

Although every sailor aboard the McCaffery faced some level of danger from asbestos, the crew members who directly handled or worked in proximity to asbestos-containing products and equipment experienced the highest danger levels, particularly those working in areas with poor ventilation. The propulsion compartments and furnace rooms, along with the cramped locations where asbestos-wrapped pipe networks were located, contained such heavy contamination that decades later, sailors remembered the working conditions as having been extremely hazardous and dusty. Many of the personnel assigned to these dangerous areas later developed asbestos-related medical conditions.

Support and Financial Relief Available for USS McCaffery Veterans

Self Care

If you served aboard the USS McCaffery or worked as one of the numerous shipyard personnel who participated in the maintenance or upgrades done on the vessel during repair and modernization projects, there’s a strong chance that you encountered and breathed in or ingested asbestos. Even without symptoms, it’s advisable to inform your healthcare provider about your exposure history so this critical information becomes part of your permanent medical file. This documentation will benefit you in many ways, including enabling a quicker diagnosis if symptoms appear in the future and documentation for compensation claims.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Navy veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-linked conditions may qualify to seek financial compensation, along with medical support and services through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Military authorities have recognized that the USS McCaffery and all Gearing-class destroyers contained dangerous asbestos materials, and because mesothelioma has been classified as completely 100% disabling, benefit applications typically receive immediate approval upon receipt of documentation, enabling veterans to obtain healthcare cost reimbursement and access treatment at outstanding VA medical centers or specialized treatment facilities nationwide.

Asbestos Trust Funds and Litigation

In addition to obtaining VA assistance, former military personnel can pursue financial recovery from the asbestos manufacturers who supplied their harmful materials into their military environments. These companies have previously faced lawsuits from diagnosed victims, and there are extensive documented histories of their negligence in providing asbestos-containing products without warning military personnel or individual victims. 

In the last fifty years, juries have granted victims of negligent asbestos exposure substantial monetary awards, prompting many companies to avoid courtroom battles and agree to significant financial settlements. Additionally, dozens of companies that were ordered to pay significant asbestos exposure verdicts were forced into bankruptcy; they were required to create special funds for victims diagnosed in the future.

All the Ways a Lawyer Can Help

If you experienced asbestos exposure while serving on the USS McCaffery or during any military service, your most important resource beyond your healthcare team will likely be a skilled, seasoned mesothelioma lawyer who can provide answers to your questions, clarify your available options and required procedures, help identify the asbestos manufacturers responsible for your condition based on your military service record, and assist with both VA benefit applications and legal claim filings. It’s crucial to arrange a consultation promptly: Legal time limits called statutes of limitations restrict the time you’re allowed between receiving your diagnosis and initiating legal action. Consulting with an asbestos attorney quickly will help protect your legal rights and allow you to proceed with confidence.